In with the New
by Tomorrows Miracle
Summary: Bergendway was a small island just off the middle of the lake. While many other islands were around it, containing wild animals, maybe haunted spirits, Bergendway Island was filled with amazing people. Though the island curfew sucks. Curfews were meant to be broken, anyways. / Main pairing is PruCan. Warnings: Homosexual relationships, cussing, sexual themes and content. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

Matthew had gawked out of the small window of the plane. The amount of trees were amazing. He was on his way to his new home, Burgendway. He came from one of the large cities of United States to a small island town surrounded by trees and lakes. He was amazed by the scenery from above and almost didn't want the airplane to land yet. Land and trees cut off some of the water, making small formations of lakes, he'd even seen rivers. He had taken many pictures to show his friends while on the ride. He had hoped there was some form of Internet connections in Bergendway.

He continued looking down, he felt the plane lowering. If it weren't for the clouds moving upwards, he wouldn't have known he was lowering. 'Ding!' Matthew looked up from his seat, seeing the seatbelt light flash on. He quickly fastened his seatbelt, hearing the clicks in front, behind and to the side.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now requesting you to fasten your seat belts, we'll be landing shortly to Bergendway. Please stay put in your seats." Matthew stared in front, seeing the woman speaking over the intercom. He felt the plane shaking and leaned forward. Ground was getting closer and closer. The airplane touched ground and it begun to shake even more. He saw the grey gravel, plenty trees many metres away, pylons placed on the ground. Everything screamed 'not like the city!' He liked it. It was new to him and he was looking forward to seeing his new home.

The plane drove on the gravel for a minute, passing by a small building and slowing down near another. The plane stopped and he could hear seat belts being unfastened.

The terminal was the only thing he saw when he was landing, surely it can't be that small. There were plenty of people on the plane that couldn't be related. Maybe there were houses on the other side of the plane where he couldn't see? He was slightly disappointed but still pleased with the change of scenery.

The lady at the front told everyone to stay in their seats while she opened the plane door. She twisted a lever and gently pushed the door down. Matthew looked out of the window, already hearing the murmurs and rustling of people grabbing their bags. The girl who sat next to him began to move and grab her bag. He patiently waited till the aisle was somewhat clear to easily maneuver himself out of the plane.

He stepped onto gravel, almost slipping. He looked around, seeing which way everybody went. They all headed towards a building which looked small on the outside. He followed the trail, looking at the windows. He hoped his parents were here already.

His parents had lived here one month longer that Matthew, while he lived with his aunt to finish his remaining school year in the city. He had left few friends behind, to name a few, Alfred, his best friend, Yong Soo partner in crime, as Yong would like to call it. His pot head friend Tim, who would always hook Matthew up when he wanted. He was really going to miss them, but he promised he would call or text them when he touched ground.

Alfred had been the one who made Matthew cry the most. Yong had been the one who tried to cheer them both up and Tim was the one who offered the 'chill pill.' Which wasn't really a pill. Matthew had to laugh, though. Alfred was most emotional when he told the three of them he was moving.

He held open the door for the person behind him, just as the person in front did for him. He looked around the place and saw his mom and dad waving at him. He smiled and walked over to them, hugging both of them tightly.

"How was the ride, sweety?" Matthew loves his mom, and the way she looked at him. Matthew had her eyes, everyone told him that. It was a unique colour that everyone he came in contact with loved.

"It was okay, not a single problem." He replied, Judy smiled and hugged her son.

"We should go get your bags, they should be outside by now." His dad said. Matthew took this chance to look around the room. It was a waiting area. There was a desk just off to the side from where he came in from. He looked another way, where his father was currently walking towards and found double doors. People entered and left, some daring to look at Matthew. He felt somewhat out of place here. He followed his parents out of the building, seeing a lot of vehicle lined up right in front of the doors. No literally, but it looked like it would be a tough job to get out of. It was almost like a traffic jam.

Matthew lost his parents for a brief moment, finding them looking at a mountain of bags. There were four wheelers bringing bags to the front from the plane. He helped his parents look for his bags.

"How many bags did you bring?" Matthew looked at his father and answered his question. He had three more bags besides Tyne carry-on. They looked through all the bags, some fell on top of each other. They found all his bags in one place and started the trek down to somewhere. Matthew almost didn't want to ask. He was being led by his mother and father down into the forest, where a trail for vehicles was. He started walking on the dirt road, admiring the tall trees that stood above him. He only saw a limited amount of trees this tall in one of the cities parks. He never saw this many, nor really walked on dirt for this long.

"Um.. Mom? Dad? Where are we going?" They both laughed in front, few vehicles passed by, waving at the three of them.

"We're going home, silly." Matthew could hear the smile in his mothers voice. He furrowed his brows.

"We're walking there?" He hoped that if he was gonna have to walk home, it would be a short walk.

"We're walking some ways, but we have to head for the dock so we can get to the island. Then we can use our car." Matthew gaped at the two of them.

"We have a car? What happened to our van?" Matthew was having a hard time trying to keep up with his parents, from dodging tree roots that stood above ground to unleavened terrain.

"We'll have our van back when winter starts. Uncle Keith and Aunt Clara will be keeping our van till then." Matthew nodded behind them, staring intently at the ground.

"Why till winter?" The question was obvious, but he didn't think it was.

"Winter is when the winter road starts. Driving on Ice. The island may be pretty small, but its like a tree. One long road with branches of houses to every side. Then there's the school at the base of the tree." Tyrone explained. Matthew nodded. That should make travelling a bit easier for Matthew.

Matthew was grateful to see that he was at the end of the trail. He could see many trees far away. There was another building just down the road. He looked to his right and saw water. Lots of water. The breeze was welcoming, he smiled. He can see another mass of land just across the water. He assumed thats where his home was.

"Beautiful, eh?" Judy smiled, looking in the same direction Matthew was looking.

"Y..Yeah." Matthew had to admit, it was breath taking. He looked down, there was a pier just down the hill. His dad walked down the hill, it wasn't steep so he deemed it safe. He was still cautious, though. He had this unsettling feeling in his stomach. He wasn't afraid of boats, he hoped he wasn't. He never rode one before. He carefully walked onto the pier, it was being held onto land by rope. The small little pier dipped down into the water with each step he took. It made him feel dizzy.

His mother asked for a ride and the boat driver nodded. She hopped into the boat and held her hand out for Matthew. He but his lip, staring at the boat. He watched where his mother had stepped when she got on, he couldn't bring himself to get onto the boat.

"Come on, it's alright." His mother coaxed, smiling gently. "It's a short ride, Mattie." He grabbed his mothers hand and stepped onto the seat. He hopped onto the floor of the boat and took his seat in front, by his mom. "Nervous?"

"Kinda." Matthew and his mother laughed. Matthew felt the boat dip further into the water and looked back. His dad got onto the boat and set the bags on the floor.

"Reception tower dock, please." Matthew heard his dad say and it clicked in his mind; this was a boat taxi. Matthew felt the boat engine rev, he gripped the seat. The boat began to move and rock. He was somewhat glad he picked the front seat, it was way more fun. He laughed lightly as the front of the boat jumped up from the water and splash down. The harsh warm wind hit his face, he peered over the edge of boat. Splashes of water moved out of they're way, creating wave ripples behind them.

He looked forward, seeing the island become larger and larger. He can make out a tall tower that stood taller than the trees. He saw few people leaving the dock, few people entering the dock. They passed by two other boats carrying passengers.

Matthew was almost sad when the boat reached a stop. The driver grabbed a rope and tied the boat to the pier. Tyrone got out first, bringing the bags from the boat. He held out his hand for Matthew and his Judy. The pier had the same feeling like if did on the other pier. Dipped down when weight was on it.

"You're gonna love it here, Matthew." His father reassured. Matthew already did. He grabbed on of his bags and put it on his back and grabbed another. His dad did the same and they were ready to head off the dock. Matthew trailed his dad, climbing up the wooden stairs. This hill was a bit steep, steep enough that if you slipped, you'd slide down the hill instead. He counted the steps, only nine. Then there was a ramp that led upwards for a bit. Then dry dirt, with few grass. He looked around this area. A reception tower, that meant Internet. Dry dirt that went around the reception tower, what he assumed were roads. He could see down the hill, buildings, few trees that lined the shore and in the distance, houses. The other way, he could see another road that lead to houses. He assumed the big road was the 'tree' that his dad was talking about. It was straight, maybe curved 500 metres away to the right. He couldn't see past that, though, there was a building in his way. A long building. A shopping centre.

"Matthew, let's go. Our car is parked over there." Matthew saw his parents who were feet away. He caught up with them and looked around some more. There was a building where three cars were parked.

"That small building right there. That's the office for the reception tower. The workers inside keep it running." Tyrone explained, so that meant there was Internet. The building wasn't like any office building. It was small. Maybe four cubicles could fit in there. Tyrone unlocked the car door with his keys and opened the other doors with a push of a button. The car wasn't anything great, it rusted near the wheels. It was still a vehicle, though.

"We don't live that far from here, just a bit ways past the shopping centre there." His mother said. She fastened her seat belt and soon, the air condition was working. The car pulled out of the parking spot. "The neighbours are nice, too. They have two sons who are around your age."

Matthew listened to his mother ramble on about the area they lived in. A ten minute walk to the shopping centre, five minute drive to the local hospital. It wasn't really a hospital, like the ones in the city. It was a one story. Not many rooms, served more of a nursing home, but still had the requirements to be called a hospital. So his mother said. It was pretty simple. His dad described it as, minor sickness/injury you don't have to leave the island. Serious sickness/injury get to the nearest city ASAP.

His house was left of the main road, if you wanted bearings, its on the western side of the road. The place was cute, in Matthews honest opinion. Small with a wooden porch out front. His house was on a semi levelled terrain, one house that was on the other side of the small 'branch' which led downwards to two other houses. He could see there was water at the edge. He could hear children screaming and laughing, the sound of splashing water. He had to scrunch his face, swimming in a lake? That wasn't something he'd particularly enjoy. He thought of all the living things in the waters and shuddered. He walked into the porch, looking around. It was clean and he liked that. There was a small wooden bench perched against the wall you saw when you same in. There was a light just aside from the door. Tyrone unlocked the door and set foot inside.

"Welcome to your new home, Matthew." His parents welcomed him inside with loving smiles.

* * *

A/N: First story, reviews are appreciated AND encouraged. Maybe some constructive critism? This will be a multi-chapter story, with implications of side pairings here and there.


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew looked around the house, his mom and dad stayed at the door and watched him. This place had more feeling, a home feeling. It felt like he was intruding, but welcomed at the same time. The place had an open concept. The living room had paintings, pictures, portraits hanging off the walls. Quotes hung in the kitchen. It had a traditional feel, not like in the big city. He supposed that's what he should have expected. The couch in the living room had a striped, zig zag look to it. What he found annoying about the couch was the corduroy feel to it, there was a matching love seat, too. The couch was facing the TV, it was propped against the corner. It was their 32inch plasma screen. He was just glad it wasn't one of those big TVs you'd expect in a traditional home. The love seat was underneath the window, and a small book case off to the side.

Matthew had to look at his parents. The room was off and he didn't like it. He'd like it more if both couches were facing the TV, but that can't happen. He looked in the kitchen. A clock was hanging between two doors. Below it was a small pantry cabinet. He wondered what was in the doors, he guess he would find out later. The kitchen table was the same one from the city. Dark brown polished wooden table, with a matching set of chairs which had a dark red cushion for comfort. The fridge, stove, and microwave weren't all that familiar to Matthew. There was a window just above the double sink, a lace curtain that covered some of the light coming through. The kitchen was a kitchen.

Matthew looked at the two doors.

"One room is empty, we don't know what to do with it. The other room is yours, though." Judy pointed to Matthews door, which was on the right. Matthew pushed open the door on the left. It was empty, save for the few boxes that were left. It looked like a nice room, he closed the door and opened the other. He found himself staring at his bed, his posters, his desk, his TV, everything that was his was in here.

"C'mere, son." Matthew looked back at his father, who held out a wrapped gift. He smiled and walked over. "Happy late birthday. I'm sure you'll find it to good use, for.. Everyday." His parents both laughed, Matthew smiled opening the gift.

The gift, it was a laptop. He wasn't expecting a laptop. Maybe new sketchbooks and drawing utensils, but not a laptop. He stared at it for the longest time, wondering if he can really keep it.

"If you somehow break it..." Tyrone left his threat in the air.

"I won't break it." Matthew replied, he hoped he didn't. He looked at his parents and hugged them. "Thanks." His mom gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"The password is by the TV on the little modem." Matthew nodded and went for the TV, "I take it he's going to hole himself in his room for the rest of the day.." Judy laughed. "We'll be in our room if you need anything. Bathrooms right here." She pointed to the door next to her room, which was on the other side of his room. Matthew nodded, looking for a pen.

"Alright.." He muttered, he found a pen on the shelf next to the love seat and scribbled the password on the box. He went into his room and started setting up his new laptop.

Ten minutes later, he found himself chatting with Alfred. They even video chatted. He told Alfred all the things he saw so far, which wasn't much since he only came here today. Alfred had been the one who ended the video call. Matthew did talk to Arthur, who visited Alfred on his own will during their conversation. That rarely happens, though, he was happy he got to see the mislabeled Englishman.

He was another one of Alfred's friends, Matthew knew that. They didn't have much in common other than being friends with the same dork. Alfred. His other friends weren't online, so he shut off the laptop and looked in his room. His room had contents his previous room had. This room was bigger, though. If he laid himself on the floor and outstretched himself, there would be enough room. He could freely walk in his room if he wanted, but the space was limited. He briefly wondered what his parents rooms were like. It could be bigger or the same size.

It was after 4:30 when he came out of the room, bored. His mom was in the kitchen, dad was probably out.

"Where's dad?" Matthew asked, leaning against the counter next to his mom. She was making food. He looked at the ingredients, either salad, or some sort of sauce.

"He's just outside, maybe talking with the neighbours?" Matthew heard the door open.

"Honey! Can you tell Matthew to come out?" They way his father spoke, he could hear pride in his voice. Matthew walked out of the kitchen and towards the doorway. "Matthew, come on, you have to meet the neighbours." His dad held open the door for him. "It's the same family I told you about before, he has two sons your age."

"Twins?"

"One could be older, one could be your age. Maybe one is younger." Tyrone shrugged, Matthew stepped out of the porch. He walked down the steps, staring at the ground. Anyone can tell he was nervous. Tyrone gave Matthew a squeeze on the shoulder.

"Romulus, this is my son, Matthew." Matthew stared at the older man with a polite smile.

"H..Hello." Matthew flinched when the older man ruffled his hair.

"Nice to meet you, kid." Romulus had a very light aura to him, almost anything could make this man give off waves of smiles and laughter, "These are my grandsons." Romulus had his arms wrapped around both of his grandsons. "This one here is Lovino," Matthew looked at the taller boy, he had an intimidating look on his face. Lovino's face seemed to not move an inch. "Lovino." Romulus had that tone of voice ring through. The type that would threaten any child to 'be nice.' Matthew frowned when Lovino only looked away. Romulus sighed, "... And this here is Feliciano." Matthew stared at the other with a slight smile on his face. Opposite as his brother, he was bubbly, couldn't contain himself in Romulus' arms for too long. It was like he was itching to leave his grandfathers arms and just lash out flurries of excitement.

"Ciao!" Feliciano waved and smiled. Matthew waved back at him smiling. Matthew was sure Feliciano had some form of ADHD. He couldn't just go and voice his thoughts, though.

Everyone had felt the atmosphere become awkward.

"Lovi, Feli, why don't you all go swimming?" Matthew perked up. There's a pool here? Matthew looked at his father who smiled.

"You never said there was a pool here." Tyrone gave his son an amused look.

"There isn't, idiot." Matthew jumped and looked at Lovino. Romulus scolded the boy, but he didn't look like he was ready to apologize. Matthew looked at his dad, recognition of horror evident in his face.

"I'm not swimming in the lake." Matthew made sure that was clear. "I don't want to smell like swamp, either." Lovino had to chuckle.

"City?"

"Yeah." Matthew crossed his arms.

"This should be amusing." Matthew narrowed his eyes at Lovino. Amusing? He'd make an entertainment worth while. Matthew sighed. He wouldn't mind swimming at a beach, lakes were filled with fish, parasites. Things he didn't know lived in water.

"I'll go swimming!" Feliciano ran into his house, most likely to get into swim gear.

"Are you going to swim, too?" Romulus asked Lovino.

"No. People are gonna pick me up soon." Lovino left to go into the house. Matthew was left alone with his dad and Romulus.

"Nice kid, he is." Tyrone said, he was talking about Lovino.

"It takes awhile." Romulus gave a sheepish look. "I'm sure he'll open up soon." Matthew didn't know what to do right now, he could go back and hole himself in the room, or stay outside and enjoy the scenery. He decided when he sat down on the steps of the porch. He enjoyed the sun, the white fluffy clouds. He could smell a barbecue going, in a direction he didn't know. He could see vehicles pass by on the main road. He didn't mind the place. It was still far different than the city.

Feliciano came out, wearing shorts and a tank top. Matthew noted that he was smaller than he showed. "Ve- are you sure you don't want to go swimming with me?" Matthew and Feliciano stared at each other. Matthew had wondered about the accent that lingered in his voice. He noticed with the other two, too. He couldn't tell between Italian, Spanish or Portuguese. He told himself he would figure it out later.

Matthew sighed, "I won't be swimming, but I'll go with you." Matthew got up from the steps and followed Feliciano down to the lake. They had to go through a small tree lining, Matthew expected mud and sand at the edge. It was rock.

"Make sure you don't step on sharp rocks if you take off your shoes." Feliciano warned, he stepped into the waters that rippled against the rock. Matthew stared, almost wanting to join him. Matthew watched Feliciano walk into the water, each step it got deeper, faster. "The water is cold.." He smiled as he heard Feliciano shiver. "There's a big rock over down there where people jump off from. It isn't very high, but it's still high enough to scare.." Matthew looked in the same direction. He wanted to see this rock. He didn't want to wander on his own, though.

"And.. I don't suggest swimming far away, there's lots of weeds in the water and they scare me." Feliciano was in the water waist down. "But that's way over there, in the middle somewhere." Feliciano pointed behind him. The need for swimming only became less when he heard this. Feliciano was now yelling in order to speak to Matthew. Only his head popped out of the water and his arms were above water. Matthew smiled, amused with the boy in the water. There were other people, but they were swimming farther away, on either side. They were mostly kids, though.

Feliciano really looked like he was having fun, splashing around by himself. If he was okay with swimming in waters that had living things in it, then Matthew shouldn't be so afraid of it, right?

"Feli!" Matthew shouted for him. Feliciano swam to shore.

"Si?" He shook his head, droplets of water flying everywhere.

"I want to swim, too. I'm gonna go get ready." Matthew had the laugh at the excited look on Feliciano's face. It was too adorable. Feli grabbed the towel he brought with him and began drying himself off. They both walked up to their houses. There was a truck parked in between their houses.

"Lovi's friends are here," Feli waved at the people. Matthew looked at them, there was Lovino and three other people. One of the three ran to Feli and stopped abruptly.

"You're wet." He claimed, Feli laughed.

"I was swimming." Matthew left the two and walked into his house. He called for his parents, but only his dad was present. He stated that his mom went to the shopping centre for dinner.

"I'm going swimming with Feli, is that alright?" Matthew leaned against the wall waiting for his dads approval.

"Okay?" The tone he had in his voice made Matthew worry, "That's more than okay! You're making a friend here, good job." His dad ruffled his hair. "Go get ready, don't want Feli waiting?" Matthew went into his room. He searched every one of his bags for swimming trunks. He found one at the end of the bag. He asked for a towel and changed out of his clothes. When he deemed himself ready, he grabbed his glasses case and left the house. He was confident with his body, so he didn't mind being in only swim trunks.

He stepped of the porch, almost walking into the parked ford truck. He looked around for Feliciano. He walked around the truck, hoping to see Feliciano. He saw puddle trails leading into the home, the door was wide open. He didn't want to intrude without permission so he stayed outside and waited. He felt his phone vibrate in the towel. He didn't know why he brought it out with him, but he did. He stared at the text, or an attempt at a 'sext' from his pot head friend. He blushed at the text, biting his lip. His friend had tendencies when he was high. Instead of texting him back, he touched the call button. The receiver made no attempt to make Matthew wait.

"What's up, brother." Tim dragged out his words. "Life is boring right now. Come and puff a joint with me."

"You know I would. Despite being like, shit ton miles away from you." Matthew sighed. "I'm going to go swim soon, you know what I have to swim in?" Matthew said, exasperated, "The lake! Not the clean chloride waters of the swimming pools on Main. It looks fun, though." He heard the low chuckle on the other end.

"Lakes aren't that bad," Tim tried to reason, "Swim with nature, thought that was something you wanted?"

"I didn't actually think people swam in lakes." He mindlessly walked around, jumping when he saw Feliciano, Lovino and three other teenage boys behind him. "I gotta go. Swimming buddy is here." Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Call me later." Matthew heard the other inhaling.

"Yeah." Matthew turned off his phone, "Ready?" He smiled at Feliciano. "Is it alright if I called you Feli?" Feli nodded excitedly.

"Si! Everyone calls me that! It's no problem!" Matthews eyes wandered to the new people. They were unusual, but he didn't say anything.

"Alright, lets go swimming then." Matthew started walking ahead. He could hear murmurs from the four. Feli caught up with them. "Who are they?"

"Why didn't you ask? They're Lovi's friends~ I hang out with them sometimes. Gilbert, Francis and Antonio." Matthew nodded, not saying anything more. They reached the banks. Matthew took off his glasses and placed them into his case. He wrapped his case and phone in the towel.

He emerged his feet into the water, shivers ran up his spine: the water was colder than he thought. He let his feet become accustomed before walking into the water. At one point, he stopped feeling rock and started feeling sand beneath his feet. He was, at first, disgusted. Feliciano was already into the water, farther out than from where Matthew stood. His hips were wet now, and he was shivering. His teeth were chattering. He was cold all over.

He was in the water, the water waved over his chest. His arms were in the water and he was trying to ready himself; to dip his head underneath the water. He was dreading the feeling.

Matthew wasn't feeling scared anymore, he submerged himself and let the water wrap all around him.

* * *

A/N: Bergendway isn't actually an island. Well, it could be, but it was for a school project I had to do for my geography class. Create a town, city, country and show the class the environment, the issues, the people, adaptation. That sort of stuff.

Reviews are welcome and encouraged c:


	3. Chapter 3

It's been two weeks here and it was scorching hot out. It was the third week of July, it was bound to get hotter. The blonde was laying on his bed, groaning occasionally. He didn't even want to move to use the bathroom, or anything. The bed was getting hotter each passing minute. He tried to stay away from the water, fear of tanning too much. Today was going to be the exception. He was already swimming in his own sweat. It made him feel like shit.

He walked out of the room, going into the laundry room for his swimwear. He looked around for the sunscreen and found it in the bathroom. He told his parents of his plans and went to change in his swim suit. He wondered if Feli wanted to go swimming, he could go and ask. He put on a shirt that was one size too big for him and walked out of the house.

This place, Bergendway, wasn't much. He had his tour around the island and even went for a political meeting with his parents at the council hall. The main issue here wasn't like the city. It was whether or not the main road should become paved. Some agreed, not wanting to become stuck, or slip off the road when it becomes muddy or filled with patches of ice. Some disagreed, saying it would ruin the nature filled with this place. Naturally, the mayor decided she would have to get the road paved. She was also a driver. And had gotten stuck one too many times.

The shopping centre? He supposed it was ok. It wasn't a mall, but more of a retail store. There was one restaurant, two clothes shops, one huge retail store. It wasn't the place where he would like go to and hang out. His dad and mom took him all the way down the road to see North Bergendway High School. On the way there, they passed by the elementary school, it was the only place with a kids play park. There were more stores in the island, but they were family-run stores. A small little family-run diner. This place couldn't get any cuter.

He felt a warm breeze brush passed him and he welcomed it. He went to go knock on the Vargas' door. Romulus had opened the door, towering over Matthew.

"I-Is... Does Feli want to go swimming?" He stuttered, jumping when Romulus shouted for Feli. No answer came.

"I think he is already swimming, or he's at his friends house." Matthew nodded, saying his bye to the older man. He walked down the road to the banks. Splashing was heard the entire walk. Laughter rang through Matthews ears, he could see that there were already active swimmers through the tree lines. He walked through the tree line and stood beside a tree. He looked out for a familiar face. He could see Feliciano and Lovino swimming. There were five others with them.

"Matthew!" Matthew jumped when he heard his name being called. He saw Feliciano waving towards him. He waved back, realizing all the other people were staring at him, too. He stopped waving and retreated back to his home. His face was flushed. He sat down on the steps and leaned against the wall on his home.

He sat there for a few minutes, listening. He tuned in nature, hearing bird chirp. Often heard a raven caw, he can hear the buzzing of a bee. He can hear crickets chirping. He never heard this in the city. Often it would be the sound of motorcycles revving, sirens going off, bustling people. It was noisy. There was this one bird he can hear, though, creating a melody. He listened for that one bird. It sounded like it was alone.

It was nice out, he stayed in the shade. The skies were a clear blue. Not a cloud in sight. He wished his friends were here to see this, to live this. He went inside to grab his phone. The reception sometimes sucked, but he hoped, with the skies clear, that the reception would be near perfect. He went back out to his sitting place. Matthew dialled a number he knew by heart.

"Yellow?" Alfred's voice broke through.

"Hello." Matthew smiled.

"Mattie! Oh dude! I miss ya! You will not believe what happened this week!" Alfred's enthusiasm was enough to make anyone as enthusiastic as him.

"What happened?"

"I went with Arthur to this piercing parlour.." Matthew could almost imagine what kind of piercing Arthur would get. "You know how his tongue is pierced right?"

How could Matthew forget? He went with him, the sight of blood had made him nauseous. Arthur had a very visible lisp for a few weeks that Alfred and Matthew couldn't get over.

"Yeah.." Matthew had caution written in his tone. He didn't know what he was gonna expect to come out of Alfred's mouth. Especially if it involved piercing parlours and Arthur.

"He got his fucking tongue split! He's a fucking masochist, I swear!" Matthew groaned upon hearing this. He wasn't ready to hear that. He figured he would have his tongue pierced again, but not this.

"What..!" Arthur, in Matthews mind, was a rebel punk. He chose his own friends, did things that was against the rules. Anything that would be considered law breaking. Served juvie once or twice. Despite his records, he was smart, intelligent.

"Yeah, I know! Kinda gross, but kinda cool. I didn't even know you can have that done." Alfred said, "Anyways! 'Nough about him, what have you been doing? Make any friends, yet?" Matthew considered his question.

"Nothing, really. There's not much to do here, and I don't know if I would call these people friends. They're more... Not friends?" Matthew said, he was unsure to call Feliciano a friend, he barely went out of his home. The only time when him and Feliciano would hang out was for swimming, and that wasn't often.

"But you did meet people."

"I've only met two people officially. The other three, I don't bother talking to them." Matthew explained, "They look like total douches if you ask me. But Feli is saying that they're 'awesome' people and fun to hang around with."

"Feli?"

"Swimming buddy. Such a cutie, too. He's almost like a child."

"I thought that was a short name for like Felicia, or something. So Feli is a guy." Alfred asked.

"Yeah, I figured out he was Italian about a week ago."

"Woah! There's Italian babes there?"

"How should I know? I don't go around asking the girls their nationality. I barely go out." Matthew nearly shouted into the phone. "Have you heard from Yong? I tried calling and messaging him last week and he didn't get back to me."

"Oh yeah! He got grounded again. You know, the usual." Casually said, Matthew laughed a bit.

"Who did he 'accidentally' grope this time?" His friend, Im Yong, had...habits of groping people. In the past, he did have some charges that ere easily pressed off for touching- claiming a womans breasts.

"Older bro. He got his phone and Internet taken away." Alfred laughed. Matthew laughed along, at least his friend was okay.

"Okay, what have you been doing?" Matthew asked, he talked to Tim regularly, Yong was grounded, Arthur was being Arthur. Alfred's turn.

"Uh, nothing. I've been in my room, crying. Cause I miss you." Each word had gotten louder. Matthew smiled.

"I miss you, too. But seriously, what have you been doing?"

"Like I said. Nothing. I don't have my best bro here to cause a mess with. I've been playing video games mostly. Tried to get a job, no ones called back, though." Matthew nodded.

"I'm sure someone would call back."

"Oh! And you know that new swimming centre the people promised like, two years ago? They're gonna finally start on it! Finally! Probably gonna have to wait another two years for it to be complete, though." Matthew remembered. He was 15 then, and very excited.

"Hey.. Matthew?" Matthew jumped at the sudden voice. He looked to his side and saw Feliciano along with his group of friends.

"Shit.. You scared me. Hold on Alfred.." Matthew brought down the phone from his ear, "Yes?" He turned his attention to Feliciano, often turning his gaze to the other six behind him.

"Did you want to swim with us?" The Italian smiled.

"Um.. Okay." Matthew smiled sweetly, he brought the phone back to his ear, "I'll probably call you later-"

"Probably?"

"I'll call you later." Matthew assured.

"Where you going?" Matthew imagined the look of Alfred's face. Lips pouty and eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm gonna go for a dip in the lake.."

"Oh. Alright then. Make sure you call me later then." He can hear Alfred sighing in defeat. Matthew suppressed the urge to laugh at his childish ways.

"Yeah, okay. Bye." Matthew pressed the end call button, "Let me just.. Go put this away.." He stood up and went into his house. His mom and dad were getting ready to leave.

"Mattie, we're going shopping for dinner, did you want something specific to eat tonight?" Matthew shook his head and left his phone on the counter. He walked his parents out of the house, his dad locked the house.

"We'll probably be back before your done swimming," they walked out of the porch. "If you're finished before we even get back. You're locked out." Matthew nodded, his parents won't be gone for long, knowing that the shopping centre was just up the road.

"Are you sure you don't want anything? A drink? Candies? Bag of chips?" His mother glowed in the light. She was wearing a sun hat and a pastel blue dress.

"Um.. A drink would be okay.." Matthew said, looking into his moms eyes.

"Alright, see you when we get back home." She smiled and got into the car. His dad waved bye and started the engine.

"Your moms hot."

Matthew stared back at the seven behind him. He knew it wasn't Feliciano or Lovino.

"Tch! Idiot! You don't just go and say that when the moms son is there!" Lovino barked at the person who dared to voice his opinion. Matthew stared hard at the boy. He decided this boy was intimidating, just by the looks. He was albino. No colour of pigment on his skin. The colour of his hair was white. What stood out the most was the boys eyes. They were red. Dark red.

Matthew walked up to said male. "Are you implying something?"

"Implying something?"

"Implying. Something." Matthew let out a smile, one that could be easily taken for a smirk, "I am almost identical to my mom. Are you implying something?"

"Wha- What? N-no! No.. I- I don't! I'm not-" He listened to the albino. He knew that he was German, or maybe Austrian. He was thinking this place was built for the world. He thought, the accent was hot.

"Relax. I was just fucking with you." Matthew sighed, "Let's go swimming. It's hot out." Walking away, Matthew heard quiet laughter being shared throughout the group.

* * *

A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter than usual, but I'm pleased with it. We have some comedy in here, that's always cool. c:

Reviews and welcome and encouraged, thanks for reading :D


	4. Chapter 4

Matthew had eagerly got out of the car. His parents had just taken him to the school to sign up. The school was okay, there was a track at least. He got a look around the school, found where his classes would be. Otherwise, it's a simple school. There wasn't any confusing room numbers, no separate halls. By separate, he meant all his classes were in the same wing of the school.

The school worked a bit differently, wanting you to be on time to every class had a meaning there. Grades were separated into two. Grades 9 and 10 were to stay on the east wing, and the grades 11 to 12 were to stay on the west wing. It wasn't a rule to stay in the west wing, it's just most of the courses in those grades were there. There were two gyms in the middle, though small. There was a wall in between the two that could easily slide for two gyms to become one big gym.

The school had two stories, the cafeteria was on the main floor, under the gym. A main office, two guidance counsellor offices for each wing. It was simple enough.

"Matthew," the blonde looked up and saw Lovino waving him over. He walked up to the feisty Italian, wondering what he wanted.

"Yeah?" Matthew looked around, his mom and dad had went into the house already. Lovino was anything but nice. He had an atmosphere that could kill if you walked within it.

"You know those people we went swimming with a week ago?"

"You mean with that one person who called my mom hot?"

"Yeah. That was Gilbert, anyways. They were wondering if you wanted to hang out again. They've been bugging the shit out of me ever since. It's very annoying." Lovino crossed his arms, scowl permanent on his face. Matthew laughed. Lovino had glared at the blonde, a dust of pink covering his cheeks.

"Aren't they your friends, though? How about we hang out for awhile?" Matthew asked, kicking a pebble from under his feet.

"Uh, sort of." Matthew looked up at the Italian, what did Lovino mean by sort of? "They're idiots, bastards. The sort. But they're the only entertainment here. I only choose to hang out with them because of boredom." Matthew nodded.

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it? How will I know of you want to hang out with me genuinely, rather because of boredom?"

"I didn't ask to hang out with you." Lovino scoffed. Matthew smiled at the Italian. "You did." Lovino finished. "And I don't think anyone will easily get bored of someone like you."

"I can't tell if thats an insult or a compliment." Matthew smiled, the Italian shrugged.

"Could be both. Come on, let's go somewhere?" Lovino started walking towards the main road.

"Where will you be taking me?" Matthew asked, walking side by side with Lovino.

"Dunno. Somewhere that isn't near home." Lovino replied. They walked onto the main road and began walking towards the school. Lovino had kept glancing at Matthew. "So, where you from?" Matthew looked at Lovino.

"Originally, Canada. Then we moved to Miami, and now we're here." Lovino nodded. "What about you? You came from Italy, right?"

"Yeah, from Sicily. Our parents.. Uh.. Died, and we came here to live with our grandpa."

"Oh.. Sorry about that." Matthew looked at the ground. He was never one to talk about deaths, it always ended in an awkward state afterwards. They walked along the side of the road in silence.

"What's Miami like?" Lovino asked, "I've never been there." Matthew looked at the brunet and smiled.

"It's not as quiet as here. But it's probably hotter than it is now." Matthew began to tell him all about his previous home. He told all the fun times he had with his parents and his three best friends. He told Lovino about the time he and his friends went on a 'safari' in the Everglades and saw the American crocodile only once. Lovino was amused by the Canadians stories, even let out a laughter a few times.

"We always went to the beach, the annual carnival. It was so much fun," Matthew smiled, reminiscing on the past made him miss it more. "I've always wanted to go to the Museum of Science, though. No one ever wanted to go with me."

"Probably because it's science and your friends sound like idiotic dorks." Lovino reasoned, crossing his arms with a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Matthew laughed, "But they're my idiotic best friends." Lovino laughed, he turned onto another road.

"Let's go, I've been wanting a soda for a bit.. Did you want one?" The Italian offered.

"Will I be in your debt if I asked for one?" Matthew replied, amused.

"Yeah. The drink is .75 cents. I'll be asking for an interest of 25%." Matthew rolled his eyes. The sarcasm couldn't be anymore evident with Lovino. "But." Lovino gave Matthew a serious look, "The first time is free of charge, second, third, fourth, however many. You will be in debt." Matthew couldn't tell whether he was being serious or not. He decided he was when he saw a small smile playing on his lips.

They stepped into the house/store place and got what they wanted. They began the walk back home. Matthew was starting to like Lovino. Not in the romantic way, his first impression on the boy had been thrown off for his second impression. He was okay with that. The Italian had told him about the island.

"There's a lot more to this little island than you think," Lovino started, "It's August now, where a lot of summer activities happen." He looked to see if Matthew was listening, "Next week, for five days, starts the Annual Festivities of the Summer. Shitty title, I know."

"Alright, so what happens?" Matthew listened, interested that something was happening.

"The first day, which is on Monday, is the opening ceremony. The main event is the potluck feast outside the Council Hall." Matthew listened to him carefully, wondering what it would be like to attend the whole thing. Lovino told him the main events. The second day was the fishing derby. It's basically go out onto the lake, and fish for the biggest fish to receive a $500 reward. Second place would be $250 and the third place would be $100 rewards. Side events were for the children. If you were 16 and over, you could participate in the main events that weren't on the main land.

Matthew laughed at Lovino's enthusiasm. "This all sounds like fun already, what about the other three days?"

"I was just getting to that. The third day is the scavenger hunt. Pretty self explanatory. Just go all over the island to find the 6 items. Only 6 items. It's hard to find all 6 on this island, sometimes no one even wins. I can't remember the last time somebody actually won." Lovino crossed his arms. The two were getting closer to their respective homes. "The fourth day, it's not as fun, but cook the best home made meal ever to win a prize. Every year is different, but within reason. Only 5 people can enter, though. Nonno, my grandpa. He entered and surely going to win because Italian food is the best." Matthew smiled, Lovino had made a point and he was so sure of it.

"The fifth day?"

"The fifth day always ends with a bonfire deep into the woods. It's near the school, but we get to stay out as long as we want. Even if we aren't near the bonfire. In the day, its like a relax day." Lovino explained. They walked down the hill. Their homes getting closer with each step. "Like a 'congratulations! You did a-fucking-mazing this year! Take this day to relax and play bingo!' Type of thing. Those who aren't playing bingo usually have a victory swim, or a victory water balloon fight."

"I've never participated in anything like this, I'm so excited! This is gonna be so much fun!" Matthew smiled, almost ready to jump for joy. Lovino smiled at the boys eagerness.

They talked outside for awhile, enjoying each others presence. Matthew had made a friend, they broke out of their conversation when they saw a black ford truck coming their way.

"You never did answer my question." Lovino reminded, Matthew looked at him, thinking which question he might be talking about, "Did you want to hang out with us?" Matthew saw three teenagers pour out of the truck.

"Lovi! You never texted back. What gives?" The albino brought his hands up.

"I got distracted, bastard." Matthew looked at Lovino. He had gone back to the way when he met him. "So, yes or no?"

"Um, right now?" Matthew asked.

"No, tonight." The blonde said, he smiled sweetly at Matthew. Matthew easily recognized his accent as French.

"Tonight? Like.. Before curfew or... After?"

"After. Like midnight after." Gilbert laughed. "Awesome people only. Meaning no snitches allowed."

"What's happening tonight?"

"Call it a 'Pre-event.'" Lovino answered, "It's just hanging out past curfew. Nothing more or less." Matthew nodded.

"Yeah. Alright, I'll go." Gilbert held up his fist clenched to Matthew. Matthew fist bumped him.

"Didn't think you had the guts to say yes. You impress me." Gilbert praised. "Alright, here's whats going on. Frenchie here, he's gonna pick you guys up, say.. At 11:30 tonight. Antonio will be staying with me for the rest of the evening so you three will meet us at my place. Then we can get partying." Matthew nodded, he had a slightly bad feeling. It was faded away by the thrill and excitement of the whole idea. He was gonna sneak away, break the rules tonight.

It wasn't like he never did this, though. Sneaking away he's done a lot. Breaking rules? Yeah, he had done underage drinking a few times, smoked an illegal herb. All that was in the city, though. It was different here. He figured if someone who wasn't allowed to know figured this out, the whole island would know in a matter of seconds.

* * *

A/N: I absolutely LOVE Romanada, though, tthey're only going to be best friends in this fic. Have I told you the Spamano isn't established, yet? Ooh~ this is sure to cause some sort of stir!

Thanks for reading, and I appreciate reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

Matthew yawned the third time that night. It was already an hour before midnight. He already took a shower just before his parents went to bed. He was starting to wonder when Lovino would text him. Sighing, he got up and looked around his room. He didn't find the sweater he wanted to wear. It got a bit colder during the nights.

Matthew opened his bedroom door, he didn't check the laundry room, yet. He figured his parents might be in a deep sleep right now. Quietly as he could, he walked across the living room and past his parents door. The laundry room had to be by the main door.

The door squeaked upon opening it. The more gentle he was with the door, the more loud and slow the door squeaked. He mentally cursed at the door. Matthew opened the door enough for him to just fit right through. He looked in the baskets that were filled with colours. He pulled out the sleeve of his dark red and black sweater, smiling. It smelled fresh, clean. The stain he made was gone. Matthew slipped back out with ease.

He tip-toed back across the room and into his own. He had a bit longer to spare, 20 minutes until he had to leave. Matthew sat on his bed, he was tired but this was his first time actually hanging out. Matthew wasn't known to make friends that would befriend him on their own. Tim, Alfred had introduced them to each other. It was a school project that made Matthew and Im Yong friends. He put up with the Koreans antics and he decided that they were friends from now on. Alfred had been the boy down the hall from his own apartment door. They played on the playground in front of the complex, where they first met. It had been a rough start to a friendship, bit of hair tugging, the tongue thing. The tongue thing was considered bad and almost as if someone punched you.

The Canadian jumped onto his bed, face hitting the pillow. He supposed he had ten minutes before he expected Lovino's text. He just didn't know whether or not he could actually stay awake. He was thinking they'd be gone til the skies became grey blue. That didn't happen until 5am. He knew he didn't sleep for long, his phone had blasted. Matthew quickly jumped, in hopes that this didn't wake his parents. He was doubtful, though. You'd have to have the ears of a bat to hear from across the room. He looked at the text.

'Lets go idiot. That French bastard is here. Already outside.' From Unknown Number. Matthew added the number into his phone as Lovino. Well, his attempt sleep was disturbed. He closed his lights and looked out the window. Sure enough, he saw Lovino waiting outside his door. He opened it, Lovino snapping his head to the window. The Italian was amused. Matthew popped the screen out and jumped out of the window. He closed the window and put the screen back into it's original position. It's as if nothing ever happened.

"Did you have to do that? Why didn't you use the front door like a decent human being?" Lovino asked. Matthew smiled, walking towards the Italian. He could see the black ford truck just up the hill. He looked over Lovino, who did the same. Slim baggy jeans, he could tell that it was dark. A dark plain sweater that was zipped up.

"Decent human being? I don't ever recall you ever being one." Matthew smirked, Lovino's person was almost glowing. He could see the greens of Lovino's eyes shine vibrantly. Matthew looked up, gasping. He was sure he died in that spot. His eyes flickered from one spot to another. Above them was a blanket of stars, covering almost any area that wasn't occupied. He was sure if he counted every star, it would take an eternity. A lifetime. He took in the sight, staring in every direction. Turning in a circle to get a better view of all the stars lighting up the night.

Lovino looked up with him, almost forgetting that Matthew was from the city. Stars weren't a first for the Italian. He saw them every time he went out. Feeling a smile tug on his lips, "Come on. We can star gaze more later." Lovino pulled the boy with him up the hill. "We'll mostly be outside anyways." He assured. Matthew never left his gaze from the stars, he tripped a few times on the way up but Lovino had caught him. "Idiot! Keep your eyes on the ground!" Lovino cursed at the Canadian. Matthew muttered a small sorry and looked where he was going.

Matthew opened the door to the back seats, the truck had already smelled of alcohol. Just like Gilbert said, Francis was the one who came to pick them up. Matthew stared out of the window, taking no interest in the attention he was receiving from Francis. The older blonde stared at Matthew through the rear-view mirror. He started the engine once again, making a u turn and started driving.

"Matthieu," Francis hadn't hung out with Matthew all the weeks he's been here and he's just itching to know more about him. Matthew hummed in response. "..." Francis didn't know what to say, he would have used his charms, but the Canadian didn't seem too interested. He wasn't used to that at all. Matthew looked at the other blonde, thinking Francis hasn't heard him.

"Yes?" He spoke a bit louder than usual, he was used to not being heard, but when someone wanted to talk to him, he'd give full attention. Francis looked in the rear-view mirror once again, seeing Matthew stare back at him.

"Nothing, never mind." He quickly said, the Frenchman would figure Matthew out soon enough. Lovino scoffed, a smug smile appearing on his face.

"Tch.. You don't have a chance." The Italian stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I wasn't looking for one. Jealous, non?" Francis and Lovino started a little one on one fight and Matthew stared out the window, staring at all the stars that passed by. At one point, the two in the front started yelling at each other in their native tongue. He understood French, but Italian he didn't. He understood that Francis was talking about him, the Italian could be talking about how much of an idiot, or bastard Francis was for all he knew.

"Can you guys shut up." Matthew demanded. Both Francis and Lovino looked at him, "Just.. Shut up." Matthew looked back out, continuing, "We're gonna have an accident if you two keep that up." The car ride was silent the rest of the way. In the end, Francis only found that Matthew had a bit of a temper. He didn't know if he wanted to test the temper.

Matthew felt a turn coming on, he looked around. He didn't know where he was, the place looked different at night. Francis pulled to a stop in front of a house. It was bigger than his current home.

"Alright, Gilbert and Antonio should be waiting for us down at the banks." Francis stopped the engine, and got out of the truck.

"Wait, where are we even going?" Matthew asked, were they possibly going out for a midnight swim? Lovino looked at him and beckoned to follow. Both got out of the truck and started following Francis.

"We're going to go visit a friend." Lovino said, he stared at the ground watching his footing. Matthew did the same.

"You said we were gonna be outside.." Matthew reminded. He was a bit disappointed, but still had high hopes of staying outside.

"Ugh. We are gonna be outside. Now shut up." Lovino crossed his arms, Matthew brought his hands up in defence. His spirits were lifted, though. He wasn't gonna complain anymore.

The three had stopped at the banks. From here, Matthew could definitely see the big rock jump Feliciano was talking about. He supposed it wasn't too high. He did jump off a high diving board once or twice, and that scared the shit out of him. He looked around and saw three figures already along the banks, a boat behind them.

"Bonjour~" Francis walked up to all of them, in an almost dream like way. One of the people who he hasn't met had a serious look on his face. It was obvious he was woken up. The under of his eyes were puffy, and he had yawned.

"Kay, Luddy. Everyone's here, lets get this show on the road!" Gilbert jumped and got into the boat. Luddy sighed, telling everyone else to get in. Matthew had a bit of trouble, he had to climb in, rather than being higher than the boat. He still didn't know where he was going.

Luddy, who was the other blonde he had seen last week with everyone else, drove them off the banks. Matthew had been sitting next to Lovino, nearly pushing his own weight onto him. He didn't think Lovino minded since he didn't say anything. He rested his head on his shoulder, feeling the Italian stiffen. Matthew looked up, he still smiled upon looking at the stars.

"They're so pretty.." Matthew breathed, he said it loud enough for Lovino to hear. He saw Lovino's head tilting upward, too.

"Y-yeah.. I guess they are." Both boys ignored the looks of the other passengers. Especially Antonio's, who had a glint of green flash through his eyes. Matthew looked down once trees came into his view. His neck had started hurting a bit from looking up. Black trees came into full vision, the boat was slowing down. Luddy had parked the boat, grabbing a rope and got off. He held the rope tightly and each person got off one by one.

"Okay, west. Call you later when we wanna be picked up. Let's go , I can already smell the kush burning." Gilbert said, leading the way through the forest. It was true, Matthew's senses had tingled with the familiar scent. He never thought he'd smell the scent again after moving here, with the rules being somewhat strict. He trailed after Antonio, watching his steps. He was careful to make sure branches didn't hit the person behind him. He ducked under a few branches.

Laughter can be heard just ahead and the scent was becoming stronger. They came into an opening, there few lanterns lighting the place up. Boards were all over the ground, as if to make a floor from the dirt. That didn't stop the dirt and grass from soles of the shoes taking their place. The boards under neath were dirty. Matthew could see a new group of people. A group of maybe ten or fifteen. He definitely noticed the group of five Gilbert was currently heading towards.

"Matthias! What's up, bro! How's it going?" Gilbert and said Matthias shared a bro shake. Thy had joined their group, forgetting about the others.

"Hejj, just in time! We just finished out first gram and starting our second." Matthias, he was taller than Matthew, but looked around the same height as Gilbert. In Matthias' hand was a pipe, a blue glass pipe with already burnt herbs on it. The special herb. Matthew stared at the pipe, wondering if he was gonna take any hits soon. He stared at the man. His hair was gravity defying, sticking upwards in random directions. He looked over to Matthew, "I spot a new face, who is he!" Matthias quickly walked over to Matthew. "I'm Matthias," he winked. Matthew blushed, looking down.

"I.. Um.. I'm M-Matthew.." Matthew mentally cursed at himself, he was never good at first introductions.

"Well, Matthew, as welcome to Bergendway, free weed for you, and only you tonight." Matthias said, handing the boy the pipe, before taking it back the next second, "Wait do you even smoke pot?" Matthew scoffed.

"Of course I do." He grabbed the pipe, Matthias handed him a small portion of the weed an placed it on the slide. Matthew had the pipe in place, thumb on the carb hole, lips pressed against the inhale hole and he was ready to ignite the flame of the lighter. He breathed in as he burned the weed. He could see the amounts of smoke in the smoke chamber. The green little herb burned and filled his lungs. Matthew inhaled as much as he can, ignoring everyone's eyes on him, only feeling the high that was about to come.

He exhaled seconds later, smoke filled the air. People cheered him on. He felt great, he hadn't done this in awhile. He passed the pipe, coughing out the remains. Yes, it had been awhile.

The remaining of the night had been amazing for Matthew, he met new people who enjoyed his presence. He star gazed most of the night with Lovino, who he was sure that he was becoming great friends with. How could this get any better?

Matthew was so burnt out when he got back home. He checked the time and it was 4:37am. He hoped his parents didn't wake up while he was gone. He fell into a deep slumber just after hitting the bed.

* * *

A/N: Well, you should start expecting weekly chapters now, haha, I wasn't gonna spoil anyone with daily chapters. There will be those random special chapters I will post up every now and then. (Almost like filler chapters, I guess) So be on the look out for those.

Thanks for reading, be sure to review~ they're like the icing on cake c:


	6. Chapter 6

Most of Matthews days had been spent with Lovino. He had gone with his family to all the events when the Festivities of Summer began. They didn't win, though. That was okay, they had fun. Matthew had fun. The day the festival ended, he had gone with his usual group of friends a bit far away from the bonfire to have their own little party. Matthew had become friends with Matthias and his...friend. Matthew had suspicions that Matthias and Lukas were close, despite Matthias' attempts to get with Matthew.

Matthew was in and out of the house all the time, his parents proud that he made friends before school even started. His mother started a job at the local hospital as a receptionist. She made appointments, made sure everything on the lines were okay. Some days she even prescribed medicine to the locals. His dad, he worked as a water works technician. He worked near the hospital, where the water station was. What he did was make sure waters working properly, worked as a plumber when needed. Both of his parents jobs were stable. They were out of the house a lot, too. This often gave Matthew advantages. Almost like he had when in the city.

He had Lovino over, Antonio, Gilbert and Francis as well. They were holed up in Matthews room. Lovino was on Matthews laptop, playing a game of solitaire. The Canadian had to admit, he'd rarely ever play those games. If he did, it was probably because of bad reception or Internet went out for a bit. Those reasons happened a lot and today was no exception.

"Ugh! It's so boring here! Do you have anything to do?" The albino whined, Matthew looked up from the screen. He was watching Lovino play, and helped him out when needed. He rolled his eyes and sighed at the 'self-proclaimed Prussian.'

"I didn't invite you here. You're free to go whenever you want." Matthew retorted. He really didn't invite the albino and his friends. They had came on their own, looking for Lovino. He was being nice by inviting them in. Just after they came over, it started raining.

"But it's raining out." Gilbert mumbled. Francis hummed in agreement, running his fingers through his hair.

"Oui~ and I don't think I want to get my hair wet." Matthew shuffled on his bed, getting comfortable once again. He looked at the screen, ignoring the three who were either sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and at the edge of the bed. "I'm sure you understand, non?" Matthew nodded, absentmindedly. He let his head rest on Lovinos shoulder.

"Stay here, then. Or go out there. I'm not stopping you from doing either." Matthew said, causing Lovino to chuckle. Matthew looked at the screen, telling the Italian to move a card to a certain place.

"Don't even bother, Matthew. These dudes are pansies." Lovino stated, looking at each of them with a daring glint in his eyes. Gilbert and Francis glared at him, throwing him the bird. Antonio, he only stared with a small smile, seemingly to accept the insult. Matthews only response was to smack him lightly on the shoulder.

"You make it sound almost convincing," Matthew giggled. He pointed at the screen again, "Move that card here.." Lovino did what he was told, he almost clicked for a new patch of cards to show.

"Hey, hey, hey! We didn't come here to hang out with you! We came here for Lovino." Gilbert said, Matthew glared at the boy, who looked like he was about to become one with the wall.

"Gilbert shut up. I came here to hang out with Matthew." Lovino replied, bitterly. He added a sigh afterwards to show that he's becoming irritated. "What about you? You've been quiet for awhile." Lovino gave the laptop to Matthew, he was talking to Antonio. Antonio had a look of surprise on his face."I didn't expect tomato bastards could be quiet for a long time. Did a tomato go sour?" Matthew played the game, smiling behind the screen. It was true, he hasn't heard the Spanish boy talk a lot. Matthew only heard the boy talk when it was only the three of them, he knows because he sees them outside. Whether he's alone, minding his own business, or with his mom grocery shopping, the Spaniard was as lively as the other two.

"No.. I don't have anything to say," Lovino almost sneered, he was expecting the boy to add an insult towards the Canadian. Lovino let go of the situation, he sat at the edge of the bed with Antonio. Matthew can feel tension between the two, looking at Gilbert and Francis to see if they had any idea going on. They looked just as dumbfounded as Matthew. "Lovi.. Can we.. Uh, talk?" Matthew heard Antonio say. It sounded like they were breaking up. Matthew strained his ear, with Antonio speaking so low, it was a bit hard to hear.

"I guess. Make it quick." Lovino sighed, standing up. Matthew told the two that the other room was free, the one next to his. They nodded an walked out. Matthew searched for any signs of the other two.

"What's up with them?" He asked. Gilbert shrugged.

"Dunno. They've been like this ever since they met. Like, they have this hate towards each other. Not so much with Antonio, he talks about the kid like they're best friends, y'know?" Gilbert said, hate-friends? "Tonio won't tell us whats going on between the two. We're like, tight and he still won't tell us." Francis nodded, agreeing with Gilbert.

"Oui, and it seems it got worse ever since you showed up." Matthew narrowed his eyes at the Frenchman. How could he have possibly made it worse? He doesn't even talk to him. He looked back down to his game, ignoring the other two.

"How did I even.. Make it worse?" Matthew thought aloud. Francis hummed, his eyes on the Canadian. They both shrugged yet again, they had an idea, but weren't willing to share. Matthew sighed, getting something out of the two wasn't useful.

They could hear Lovino and Antonio speaking rather loudly to one another. Though, Matthew couldn't make out any words. His eyes stayed fixed on the screen, the room fell silent for the minutes Lovino and Antonio were out.

Next was quiet. The room next to Matthew became quiet. Matthew became somewhat wary, the yelling just suddenly fell. He listened harder, hoping they were taking note of their voices. He could hear quiet talking, Matthew assumed that they worked it out. He jumped slightly when Matthews door opened, he didn't hear the other door opening.

Lovino walked in, crossed arms, eyes glaring at anything. "Matthew, please. Get everyone out." Lovino looked at Matthew with pleading eyes. He thought about the other three, who were looking at him.

"Uh.. Sure. Everyone.. Um," he looked at Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio was already out of the room. "Please, leave.." Gilbert and Francis nodded, they both got up. Matthew followed the three to the door. "Sorry.. Eh?"

"Don't be sorry." Lovino leaned against Matthews doorframe. He still had a crossed look on his face. Matthew gave a comforting look to Antonio, who smiled slightly. After they all left the house, it was just Matthew and Lovino, now. Matthew stared at Lovino from where he was standing.

"You want to talk about it...?" Matthew brought his arms up, to show a welcoming hug.

"Not right now.." Lovino said, he went to sit on one of the seats at the table. The Canadian followed, seating himself next to Lovino. They were both quiet, Lovino stared at his hands, biting his lip. Matthew stared at the boy, wondering what was going on in the Italians mind. Matthew sighed, getting up from his seat.

"Did you want something to drink?" He asked, grabbing a cup for both of them. The Italian nodded, remaining silent. Matthew poured two cups of apple juice, then went to put one of the cups in front of Lovino. Matthew watched his friend take a sip, yes- he was worried. His potty mouthed friend was quiet and that hardly ever happened. "Lovino, please talk..?" The blonde pleaded. The brunette leaned back into his seat.

"Don't.. Hate me, okay?" Matthew burrowed his eyebrows. He was confused, but he nodded.

"I won't hate you, I promise. Will you tell me?" He leaned towards Lovino, worried expression visible.

"I'm gay." Matthew blinked. This wasn't what he was expecting. Matthew sat straight in his seat, a very confused look on his face. "Oh god.. Why did I even tell you! You.. You wouldn't understand." Lovino was about to get up but Matthew stopped him.

"No, don't go. I'm sorry if that was the impression I gave you. But.. So what? So what if you're gay-" Matthew gasped, putting pieces together, "So that means Antonio's your boyfriend!-"

"No! You idiot! He's not my boyfriend." Lovino gave Matthew a light hit, "He won't be. Until he can.. Uh.." Lovino blushed profusely, Matthew smiled.

"Until...?" Matthew pondered, until what? He smiled at his friend, he was okay, amazed even, that his friend came out to him. It was almost like a milestone in life. His friend was flustered, and he couldn't help but find it adorable.

"Uh, until he can.. Show me that.. He likes me in front of his friends.." Lovino's voice grew quieter with each word. Matthew had to wonder, what did he mean by that? He gave Lovino a confused look. "Francis and Gilbert. They're different."

"You mean... They're homophobic?" Matthew asked, he was gonna have a bit of a problem if they were homophobic. Matthew wasn't full out gay, he did go out with girls, too. To put it plainly; he was bisexual.

"Francis has slept with men, once or twice, but he won't give any chances towards dating a man. He isn't a homophobe." Lovino explained, "Neither is Gilbert. They're friends with Matthias and Lukas for fuck sakes." Matthew nodded.

"So.. What's the problem?" He couldn't exactly figure out what was wrong, "Antonio likes you, you like Antonio. Gilbert and Francis aren't homophobes, and you still won't date him because he won't show his affections in front of his best friends?" Matthew summarized, Lovino nodded.

"I.. Uh, want everyone to know when me and him start dating.. Not everyone.. But close friends and all that.." Matthew smiled, hugging his friend. He cooed at the Italians adorable confession. "He can be real sweet when we're alone.. And I just want him to.."

"Aww, Lovi~ you don't need to finish." Matthew smiled, never in his life would he expect the feisty Italian to show any cute expressions in front of him. "So.." Matthew had a spark go off in his eye. Lovino groaned, almost knowing full well where this was going. "How did it happen?"

Lovino sighed, Matthew knew he was gay, now. He knew that Antonio was his almost boyfriend. He figured telling him wouldn't hurt. "It just happened one night. He was staying the night, and he kissed me. Nothing fancy.." He said, it wasn't like they confessed to each other under the stars, or during homecoming. Nope, it just happened during a sleep over. "He was my first kiss, though, and I punched him." Lovino laughed at the memory. Antonio was shocked, at the time. Lovino threw a fit.

"You punched him?" Matthew laughed with him, "That sounds just like you!" In fits of laughter, Lovino continued.

"Yeah, well... What was I supposed to do? I didn't know I was gay, then." He crossed his arms, smiling at the giggling boy.

"Didn't have to punch him.." Matthew smiled, catching his breath.

"Then he had the guts to try again, only this time, I didn't stop him." Lovino added, he let out a shaky breath. He didn't have to hide anything from Matthew, and he was glad of that. He knew he could count on him to not judge now. Matthew smiled, his friend had a soft look on his face, he didn't dare point it out, though. Knowing Lovino, if he did, he would get a nasty look.

"What about you? Who was your first kiss?" Lovino asked. Matthew had to think for a few moments. He let out a few sounds, trying hard to think. "How many people have you even kissed should be the question." Lovino scoffed.

"Kay! My first kiss was a girl, and we were in middle school. We dated for like three weeks, then she told me she wanted to break up and that's that." Matthew couldn't really remember the name of the girl. Lovino stared hard at the Canadian. "We only kissed once in those weeks." Matthew admitted. The Italian laughed. Matthew was happy he made his friend laugh, he didn't particularly enjoy having his friend in a bad mood. So he did what he can to make Lovino laugh or smile.

"You're.. You're amazing you know that?" Lovino said, a confident smile on his lips. Matthew shrugged, smiling with him. He opened his arms again, hoping the Italian would accept his hug. Lovino opened his arms, leaning towards Matthew and hugged him tightly. "You don't mind if I stay the night? I have a feeling Antonio will visit my window.." Lovino unwrapped himself from the hug, "I don't really feel like talking to him right now.."

"Yeah, sure. I'm sure my parents won't mind." Matthew sipped his apple juice, he had forgotten it existed in front of him. "Hey, wanna watch a movie? I can make something to eat, too." Lovino nodded, he got up, sipping his own juice, too. "The movies are above the TV, just look for one." Lovino stalked towards the TV, where the collection of DVDs were. He looked through titles. Lovino let out a half smile, he considered Matthew was going to be a great friend. Possible best friend.

* * *

A/N: so.. I can't do weekly, not when I have like so many other chapters just WAITING to be posted. How about this... Every Thursday and Monday I'll post up a new chapter.

Okay so this is starting out pretty good, got the plot going. Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review~


	7. Chapter 7

School had started for Matthew, and he was pretty excited. New school, new teachers, possible new friends. He didn't think Lovino would stop being his friend just because school started. Lovino, he almost felt bad for him. He'd been staying at Matthew's most of the time. The Canadian didn't mind, though, he liked having him over. His parents, well, they complained a bit. Lovino was spending too much time at Matthews, and vice versa.

He saw two brunettes at a locker and walked up to them. "Feli, Lovi~ hi," Matthew smiled upon seeing their faces. They had opposite expressions, as usual. Feliciano had an excited and bubbly atmosphere to him, and Lovino had a scowl that didn't seem to go away.

Matthew didn't have a locker, yet. He was looking for Lovino to show him around. Where is homeroom was, and the teacher would give him a locker.

"Ve~ Matthew, ciao!" Feliciano waved, smiling. Matthew waved back, he stood in front of Lovino, who gave him a half smile.

"Ciao, Mattie." Lovino greeted, holding out his fist to the smaller boy.

"... Ciao." Matthew grinned, teeth showing. Lovino blushed, telling Matthew to stick to his own tongue. "Bonjour~ Hello~" he laughed. Lovino shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"First day of school, how do you like it here so far?" Lovino asked, grabbing the slip of paper that was in Matthews hands. He got a look at his schedule and started dragging Matthew to his homeroom. "Lucky for you, we have the same homeroom." Matthew nodded.

"I've only been here for a few minutes. Not really liking all the stares I'm getting." Matthew admitted. When he first stepped into the school, a lot of people had stared at him. He wasn't used to being the center of attention. He was sure by lunch hour, the whole school would know of his presence.

Lovino passed by the halls, going into the other wing. Where they were previously was the grade 9 and 10 wing. Matthew then figured out Feliciano was a year younger, being in 10th grade. Lovino was in his grade. They went down a long hallway. In the center of the hall way, was like a four way street. Students went in every direction towards their first class: homeroom. Lovino and Matthew continued going straight, then turned into a classroom. It was a band classroom, instruments were around. There was a drum set, a piano, a huge bass drum. There were students already in here, seated at the back of the classroom. There weren't any desks, nor did any student bring out anything for writing down notes.

Matthew took a seat beside Lovino. He was aware of all the stares they were getting, an the scowl on the Italians face seemed to become darker each passing second. Students looked away after seeing Lovino's glare. If looks could kill, the whole classroom would be dead. Matthew stared at Lovino, he was irritated. Matthew knew that much. He decided not to bother him and his...never ending irritation. The Canadian thought if he did, the intense atmosphere would deepen. So Matthew waited.

His homeroom teacher was average. She was petite and oriental. When he first walked in, he thought she was just another student. She began roll call, telling students to either say 'here!' or raise their hand. Matthew's name was called right after Lovino's. His last name being Williams meant he was at the bottom of roll call. His teacher, who he found her name was Mia Tram, had called out on him. She noticed that Matthew was new to the school, then concluded that Matthew was new to the island, too.

Ms. Tram told everyone that they were to meet at homeroom twice a week. Every Tuesday and Thursday. Matthew had no problems with that, it cut into their morning classes by half an hour. That went for the whole school. On their first day, the class was given a project. The 'Go Home' project. Matthew thought this was simple enough. Work in pairs of two or three, go home and pick out a few things that you spend a lot of time on. Pictures had to be taken, of the house, the items you picked. Ms. Tram had said this was a friendly get to know each other project that's due in one month. One student had asked to go home already, making the class erupt in giggles. Ms. Tram had made her point that the 'Go Home' project starts after school. Everyday after school.

She explained a lot of things in the hour, this year, the class was to participate in the community service. At least 3 hours per month to ensure a credit at the end of the semester.

Homeroom ended and Matthew was being quickly led to his next class. Lovino stopped him in front of the door, staring at him. "Mr. Karlinski is... A total douche. I feel so bad for you. Be good." Matthew was pushed into the classroom. Mr. Karlinski looked over at him. Matthew paled.

"U-um.. Hi.. I'm Matthew. I'm new here.." Matthew introduced himself. Mr. Karlinski stood up, motioning him to take a seat. Matthew almost squeaked. Lovino told him to be good, Matthew didn't dare to disobey. He didn't want to get on the older mans bad side. He looked sour, salt and pepper hair. A large nose with huge eyebrows. In comparison to Alfred's friend, Mr. Karlinski won by a mile. Pink skin, with many wrinkles. A smile broke through on the older mans face.

"Welcome, Matthew." Honestly, that wasn't what he was expecting. His voice was almost soothing, just waiting for someone to break that to unleash a fire within him. "Here's a course outline for the semester. I expect highly of all students who take this class, just because your new won't mean any special treatment. I hope I made that clear." Matthew nodded, looking at the course outline. AP Pre-Cal. He sighed, looking around. He didn't recognize anyone in this class.

The bell rung, signalling the start of the classes. Students poured in, taking a seat anywhere. Mr. Karlinski started the class, seeing the seats were filled. He began talking about his course. He stalked around the class, waking everyone who dared close their eyes. Matthew listened, today was a gimme. Each student was given a sheet of paper. It wasn't what he expected from a math class, but he had done this sheet before. His teacher had told the class to read the instructions before doing any of the questions. He stated that some students had probably already done this.

Matthew read through the instructions and questions until the end. He smiled, the questions were the same from his previous school. On the bottom, was to draw a stick man on the back of the sheet, and to write your name on the bottom right.

His first class was definitely a gimme, and he couldn't wait until the class actually started. His next class was history with Mr. Briar-Jelda. He had the class with Lovino and Francis. They all sat close to each other, talking quietly while Mr. BJ, as everyone called him, told the class expectations and what not. He giggled upon hearing the nickname for the man.

The next slot was lunch. Lovino had dragged him outside into the courtyard, complaining that the cafeteria was always filled with shouting freshmen or annoying little shits. Gilbert and his friends followed the two out and sat with them. Lovino had picked a place to sit, all the way across the school to the fence that was blocking off entry to the woods.

The Italian was displeased that they had followed them, but decided to keep that to himself. Instead, he asked Matthew, "How was Mr. Karlinski?" The question was directed to Matthew, who gave a shrug.

"I don't know. The first assignment was.. Way too easy." He said, pulling out his lunch. Gilbert gawked at him.

"You had Mr. Karlinski? Shit man! That's bad luck." Gilbert tsked, shaking his head in sympathy. Matthew threw a baby carrot at him.

"He.. Doesn't seem that bad." Matthew defended the older man. It was only days until he figured what the man was actually like.

"That's just how he is. Don't be fooled, he starts out rainbows and joy and everything in between. Then one small little twig drops in and sets him off like millions of bombs." Francis described. Matthew shivered, sinking into his spot. Surely he was exaggerating..?

"Quit scaring him. Karlinski isn't that bad." Antonio said, "I had him for English last year and it wasn't that bad." Matthew stared at the Spaniard, he hoped he was right. He let out a breath and took a bite out of his sandwich.

"What do you have next slot?" Lovino asked him, Matthew pulled out his schedule and said 'Phys Ed.' Everyone reminded Lovino that every 11th grade class had the same class. Matthew took note of his schedule, after gym was biology. He looked at the next day. His morning classes were..different in a way. Homeroom had cut into the first slot but his actual first slot was foods. But the afternoon changed. Tomorrow after lunch was biology and art. His schedule was okay, he'd just have to remember the day. It repeated like that until second semester, when things looked like it got fun. With his mandatory credits out of the way. Except English. He had AP English next semester.

His first semester seemed boring, the second was sure to make it worth while.

Matthew spoke with everyone that sat with him during lunch. He was aware of Antonio's affections towards Lovino, now, and he didn't dare do anything to make things worse. The last thing Matthew needed was a jealous Antonio to tell him to stay away from Lovino. He highly doubted he was capable to tell him off, though.

The next class wasn't anything special. It's basically what every other teacher had said, the expectations and what not. Everyone had to sign cards, though, it was like a scoresheet. It had all the school months packed on a tiny card. The gym teacher explained it was an attendance card. Class went by easily, nothing happened. Biology wasn't anything special, either. He had the class with Antonio and Gilbert. They sat together along with another student who sat with them. The tables were long, polished black, and each table had two outlet plugs.

Gilbert talked with Matthew through out the class, it was hard to ignore him when his voice was loud. Matthew went through with Alfred, he was sure Gilbert wasn't as bad. Their teacher was a nice woman, long brown hair, tanned and toned skin. Matthew was sure every boy in the class had ogled at her, Matthew even found himself staring.

"Hey.. Pst. Matthew. What are you doing after school?" Gilbert whispered in his ear, causing the Canadian to jump. He glared at the albino.

"Nothing, I guess. Walk home with Lovino?" He suggested. The walk home was far, but he wouldn't go on the bus. Gilbert nodded, he seemed to have an idea floating around.

"Why don't I drop you off?" Matthew gave himself moments to think about it, only to flatly reject Gilbert. "Aw, c'mon! It might rain today!" Gilbert whined, the Canadian stared, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"Since when do you pay attention to the weather? It's not supposed to rain today. Only sunshine and winds." He stated in a matter of fact tone. Defeated, Gilbert set his eyes on the outline in front of him. Antonio watched the two out of the corner of his eye. His friend was trying, he thought.

"Why are you and Lovino even friends? You guys don't even... Uh.. Click..?" Gilbert asked. True, Matthew and Lovino had different personalities.

"The same way you and your friends are." Matthew replied, honestly, he didn't know how the trio were. They all had amazing personalities, and balanced each other out with them. He supposed thats the same reason he and Lovino were.

"We engage in threesomes every night." Gilbert joked.

"Huh? Really? You look more like a virgin to me." Matthew smirked. He was enjoying this. The look on the albinos face was priceless. He was sputtering nonsense, pink in the face.

"A-and you're not?" He asked, bewildered. Matthew had to think before responding. Just to humour him.

"Eh..." Matthew's voice went higher. Truth be told, he wasn't a virgin. In both places. He did top and bottom at some point before coming here. Gilbert shut up and Matthew couldn't hold back his victory smirk. "So was I right?" Matthew asked, seeing Gilbert uturn away gave him the answer. He chuckled, getting back to the sheet in front of him.


	8. Chapter 8

Another few days has passed and the Canadian was already having homework pile up. Homework mostly from biology and math. Matthew took this day to walk home from school. He was starting to regret it once he realized how far and how long he was from the school. He grumbled, wishing he had taken the ride with Gilbert. He wasn't any closer to his house, but he was closer to the albinos. He didn't even have Lovino by his side and he was bored out of his mind.

During school, he had met another one of Lovino's friend, though she and Gilbert seemed more closer than Lovino and her. Her name was Elizaveta and she just arrived after a summer trip to her homeland: Hungary. If her arrival didn't make Matthew think that the Island probably had some sort of secret involving world wide agents disguising themselves as teenagers, then he didn't know what did. The whole island seemed way too small to be multicultural, and he was from Canada. That was saying something. He didn't mind it, though. Elizaveta was a nice girl. Taller than him, athletic build, long light brown hair and a darker shade of emerald eyes. She was beautiful, and would be surprised if she wasn't dating anyone. Ahem, Gilbert, Ahem.

Matthew only assumed that Gilbert was dating Elizaveta, though. He didn't know for sure. They could just be life long friends, or have a little FWB going on. Either way, Matthew thought they would look good together. Matthew let out a long shaky breath, he dug his hands into his pocket. He could hear a vehicle behind him, a very loud vehicle. Passed by the second bus filled with teenagers. He stared at it longingly; wishing he was sitting in one of the dingy seats. He stared back down at the ground, the walk wasn't that boring if he thought about things.

It was the second week of high school at North Bergendway. He had a math test Monday morning so he had to review and study for the test. He was bored out o his mind, he started counting steps. One, two, three...

Not that many vehicles passed by him, another- and last bus passed by. The rest of the vehicles passing by were mothers or fathers picking up their kids. Or the students were driving. Sighing, he stopped in his tracks. He was going to look at his little stack on index cards and study on the way home. He read one after another, each word burning into his mind. He answered a few right, answered some wrong. He placed the ones he got wrong in a different finger space.

A honking noise got him out of his trance, he turned to look behind him quickly. He saw the same black ford truck he'd been seeing the whole summer he was here. Finally. Salvation. The drivers side window rolled down, Gilbert yelled.

"Birdie! I was waiting so long for you at the main entrance. Why didn't you tell me that you were gonna walk home?" Matthew rolled his eyes and started for the truck. He saw Elizaveta in the passenger seat, he started for the back seats. Antonio had moved over to sit in the middle.

"Thanks. I didn't think the walk would be that long." Matthew said, he closed the car door and the car moved forward.

"Hey, Matthew." Elizaveta has turned to look at him. Matthew smiled, greeting her back. She smiled and turned back towards the road. "Anyways! As I was saying, he was the sweetest boy I ever met!" She gushed, squirming in her seat.

"That's great, Liz." Gilbert smiled at her, "He sounds...-"

"Pansy." Francis finished for him, Elizaveta had turned around just to hit him. She scoffed.

"Well! Obviously you haven't ever met someone as amazing! Look at you, though.." She giggled, darkly behind her hand. Matthew had to laugh with her, Francis did often come off as pansy. And flamboyant, but he would never say it in front of him.

"Anyways. Birdie, I was gonna ask to hang out with ya." Matthew gave an emotionless look to Gilbert in the rear view mirror. Lately, Gilbert had been asking for a one on one hang out. Matthew had thought of many reasons why he would choose to hang out with him after two months of insults and bickering at each other. He can't say he didn't enjoy the others presence when it was just the two of them, though. He wasn't a big show off as he was in front of his friends.

"Yeah. Okay." Matthew said. He wasn't doing anything exciting today. He can survive with Gilbert for the day. He heard the girl chuckle, numbing something to the Prussian. He was curious to know what they were, friends, girlfriend and boyfriend, lovers, cousins. It didn't make sense if they were related, though. One being full Hungarian, and another being German. The countries were cousins in a way, though. He'd like to think so. Distant relatives? Maybe they both had aunties and uncles who knew each other? Matthew was getting a head ache thinking about this. He groaned inwardly.

They got off the main road, going up a huge hill. He didn't know where Gilbert was driving, but he was pleased with the different change in scenery, despite seeing nothing but trees just four feet away from the window. The eventually stopped at the top. There was a house, and Elizaveta had got out of the car. So this was where Elizaveta lived. Matthew could say he was jealous of her being farther away from people. Her house was the only house surrounded by trees on this little hill. Gilbert told Eliza that he would call her later.

"Birdie, get up front." Matthew almost didn't hear him, he was too busy in his own thoughts. "Sit in th-" Matthew sighed loudly before opening the door.

"Okay, okay. I heard you the first time." Matthew quickly said. He got into the front seconds later, clicking his seat belt into place. Matthew became aware of the silence in the car, he became aware that the car had not moved in the minute or two he sat in front. The Canadian looked at the driver, confusion settling in. "Um. Why aren't we going?" He sank in his seat when all three pairs of eyes settled on him.

"What's up?" Ruby eyes bored into him, concern evident in his irises. The confusion rose, now on his face was the look of what the hell are you guys talking about?

"Um, nothing?" He brought his hands up, to emphasize that he didn't know 'what's up.'

"You seem irritated." Francis commented. Matthew, irritated? He knew was wasn't irritated. He stared back at the front, ignoring the three. That didn't help the situation at all. "He's irritated." Francis giggled. Matthew narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular.

"I am not irritated." He gritted his teeth, he soon will be if they stopped stating that he was. He sighed, regaining his composure. The car had started moving soon after, they dropped off Antonio and the Francis. Matthew was silent the whole ride, only speaking when either of the three would try to get him involved in the conversation.

"Yo.. Birdy, what's up? It's just the two of us now." Gilbert pleaded. Matthew wasn't sure himself why.

"Nothing- ...it's nothing." He said quietly. "Can we go to your place?" Matthew asked, he gave a small smile to the Prussian. Pleased with the reaction, Gilbert's cheeks were pigmented with a light red, mumbling an okay.

He didn't know when it started. When Gilbert suddenly took interest in him, it bothered him so much. He wasn't about to call him out, though. He was determined to find out on his own. He definitely didn't mind. The Prussian was egotistical, obnoxious, sometimes rude and not very considerate of others. Gilbert DID have a thing for cute things. He found that out when he went to visit his place for the first time. His household had pets. Two big dogs that belonged to the whole family and a little bird that Gilbert kept. A bird was the last thing he expected Gilbert to keep as a pet. He let it fly out of it's cage and always nestled in the albinos mop of hair. Matthew didn't find that appealing, he found it more unhygienic. Having a

Bird live in your hair sounded like a no in Matthew's opinion. The bird liked Matthew, and he found it cute, too.

Gilbert nodded, letting the conversation drop for now. The drive was in near silence, only the shallow breathing being heard. Gilbert made an attempt to use the radio, nothing really worked. There was the radio station, but that was boring. Sometimes the radio station did play music, but it was music that was rated for everyone. The island was somewhat strict with a few things.

Gilbert's house wasn't that far from his friends, with being closer to the school. They parked right in front of the house, careful to not collide into the car of the neighbours. Matthew sat still in his seat until Gilbert got out. The albino lead the way into the house, leaving the door open for Matthew to close.

"Awesome is home!" Gilbert called out, they heard a thud coming from another room. A tall man came out, long blonde hair that was slicked back. Some strayed down the sides, piercing blue eyes. It was their grandfather.

"Gilbert, please no unnecessary yelling in the house." He said. Gilbert and Matthew walked by him, the teenager giving him a hum. Matthew rolled his eyes at Gilbert, already annoyed with how he treated his grandfather. He mumbled a sorry to the man, "Matthew." The older man gave the other blonde a smile before going off to do his own work. Matthew shrugged and went into Gilbert's room.

"Wanna tell me now?" Gilbert asked.

"Tell you what?" Matthew gave the other a deadpan stare.

"You really don't remember?" Gilbert asked in disbelief. It took Matthew moments to figure out what he meant.

"...Oh. Nothing, really."

"Adding a 'really' doesn't convince me." Gilbert sat down at his desk, throwing his bag on the surface.

"There wasn't anything 'bothering' me." He tried to convince the other.

"But your gloomier than you were... In ever." Gilbert said, he rested his arm on the bak of the chair.

"I didn't know you were observant." Matthew smirked. He took a seat on the bed and faced Gilbert. He tried to not look offended.

"Ga-ah! Of course I can be! Awesome has all these benefits!" The Albino flailed, in effort to convince Matthew. "Humph! Since nothing is wrong lets game and munch out." Gilbert shot out of his seat, getting is game console ready. "What you want to play?" Gilbert asked, turning to his friend.

"Do you have any two player games?" Matthew wasn't in the mood to have Gilbert be the controller hog. Nor was he in the mood to watch Gilbert continuously make a show for him by telling him all the things he could do in a certain game and fail trying. He'd try to leave when that happened, but Gilbert saying 'one last time' always kept him seated. They ended up playing Mortal Kombat and yelling in each others faces.

"You fucking spammer!" Matthew claimed, pressing any button with a competitive speed. Matthew was getting irritated with every hit Gilbert gave him. His character's meter was going red quickly.

"Look at you! You're button smashing! Noob!" Gilbert yelled back, the same irritation in his eyes. Matthew had gotten out of his spam and started beating the shit out of him with special moves and actually pressed buttons in order. "Gott verdammt!" Gilbert yelled, throwing his controller on the bed. He sighed, and crossed his arms. Matthew let out a giggle, amused with Gilbert and happy about his victory.

'Finish him!' The game ended with Matthew doing a special move, 'Fatality.' He victoriously smiled at Gilbert. Gilbert stared at the teen, thinking he could wipe that shit-eating grin with a fist. He rolled his eyes instead and retrieved the controller, asking for a rematch. They played for hours, almost scratching, ripping at each others throat.

It was already 8 when Gilbert looked at the time. His throat was scratchy and he didn't like it. Matthew's throat felt the same and his voice was hoarse. Gilbert got them both water.

"We should go before curfew starts." The albino said. He sighed after drinking his water. He almost felt better. Matthew agreed, chugging the water. It was warm but soothing. Matthew coughed.

"Wanna go right now?" He asked. He picked up his bag, throwing it over his shoulder. Gilbert nodded, getting up to walk out of his room. Gilbert announced to anyone who was listening that he was gonna go drop of Mattie at his place.

The car ride wasn't all that different from when they were playing each other. The two held conversations that didn't involve yelling or silence.

"Ugh. No. That's be way too weird." Gilbert said, imagining himself taking pictures of baby chicks. Matthew giggled behind his hand.

"I think you would do a great job. Chicks would be all over you."

"Yeah, but not the kind of chicks I want all over me." Gilbert stated, giving Matthew the 'duh' look. "Why don't you...live with them? You would probably fit in with them, Birdie." He added the nickname for a greater effect. "You're blonde, they're yellow. You're short, they're tiny. You're- ah, never mind! You'd fit right in, though!" Matthew stared at the albino, he caught his words and was curious.

"I don't have the personality, though."

Gilbert scoffed, "Mother hen will teach you."

"I don't speak chirp!" Matthew smiled.

"Can't you not do anything? Jeez! The chicks are very ashamed that you are one of them!" Gilbert joked, smirking. He could see where he should turn. Matthew's house was nearly in sight.

"The chicks are cute, though. Why aren't you one?" Matthew asked, winking way too much than he should for it to be suggestive.

"What the fuck are you doing? You aren't Nicki Minaj." Gilbert heard Matthew burst out with laughter. He let out a giggle snort, and Gilbert couldn't help but laugh along with him. They slowed down at the side of the road, Gilbert was leaning over the wheel laughing to his full extent. Matthew's laugh died down to occasional giggling.

Several cars passed by them, honking their car horns. Gilbert jumped at teach one. He smiled, his foot on the gas pedal. He pressed down, driving down the road. He turned and slowed down, parking just in front of Matthews home. Lovino and Antonio were outside, being way too close for other people's comfort. Gilbert's hand 'accidentally' slipped onto the middle of the car wheel. The two teens jumped at the sudden noise. Matthew smiled when Lovino looked at them. Giving the middle finger.

The two teenagers got out of the car, giggling like madmen.

"You didn't have to do that! The truck was loud enough to pass as a train horn." Lovino rolled his eyes. "Where have you been?" He eyed Matthew.

"Looks like Matthew is in trouble.." Gilbert smiled, winking at the boy.

"I was just at Gilbert's." Matthew shrugged. Lovino didn't look too convinced, but he shrugged it off.

"Oh.." The Italian crossed his arms, looking at the German not too pleased. He looked at Antonio, "Are you going home now?"

Antonio almost looked hurt, "Uh, si! Gilbert's here now.." Lovino nodded.

"Kay, Matthew. Nonno made extra food for you and your parents." Matthew gasped, he remembered trying their grandfathers food and he was washed away. Lovino tugged on the boys wrist, dragging Matthew into his own house. The blonde didn't need to be dragged after hearing this. They went into his house. Matthew was generous enough to give Lovino a rather small portion of his food.

"You and Gilbert are getting close.." Lovino started. Matthew nearly choked on his food.

"Excuse me?" He wiped his mouth, stating at the brunet. Lovino glared at his hands in front of him. "What did you mean by that?"

"Ugh, you know what I mean.." Lovino grumbled, a light tint of pink in his cheeks.

"Haha! Y-you have to be joking.. Me and Gilbert? We wouldn't work out.." Matthew smiled sheepishly, almost not believing his own words. Lovino's eyes stared up at him.

"I didn't mean it that way." Lovino smiled darkly. He laughed a little, "Why did you assume that's what I meant?" Matthew almost slammed his face into his food, feeling embarrassed.

"What did you mean anyway?" Matthew changed it before he could become redder than a tomato.

Lovino quit the game, "I'm still gonna be the best friend, right?" Matthew stared at the brunet, shocked. He was happy that Lovino thought of him as a best friend. They never talked about their friendship that much, and just went with it. Matthew smiled, Lovino was his best friend, he was his best friend.

"Yeah!" Matthews smile turned into a grin, "Hash tag bif-"

"Don't even." Lovino cut him off before he could say anymore.

"Okay." Matthews smile didn't falter all through out dinner. Lovino stayed until he had to actually go home to sleep. The curfew didn't really matter when Lovino could just walk out of Matthews home and walk into his home the next second.

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A/N: Sup? Soo..How is everyone doing? I got this chapter up, started school today.. haha. Gosh, things are getting to the angst~ yeah. The 9th chapter will be up on Monday, so just wait for that :D thanks for reading~ reviews make me über happy!


	9. Chapter 8:5

It was nearing the end of September and Matthew was glad one month was almost finished. He was currently in the passenger seat of Gilbert's truck. The two decided to eat out for lunch, the albinos treat.

"She is sometimes a bitch!" Gilbert complained, apparently, Elizaveta had hit the albino head on with a frying pan. "I only said that long distance relationships were complete shit." He defended. Matthew stifled a laugh, seeing Gilbert rub his head slightly.

"Um..love has no boundaries... Or distances.." Matthew said, his finger to his lip. Gilbert gawked at him, offended that he was taking Elizaveta's side.

"Haha! Yeah! Now you'll be saying whatever the shit Franny says about the..uh, l'amour?" Matthew giggled at the foreign word. French sounded weird when slicked with a German accent. Gilbert smiled at the other boy, feeling a strange sensation in his stomach.

Matthew stared onward, "Which place are we eating at anyway?" Matthew only knew of three places in the entire island that were 'restaurants.' They were okay places, two being fast food chains and one mostly using homemade foods.

"We're near Janine's, so why not there? Their...everything is good." Gilbert said, Janine's was the family run place. Unlike the fast food chains, Janine's used less calories, and was vegan friendly. "My favourite from there has to be the ice cream. They use coconut milk and cane sugar instead of real milk and real sugar. It's a little bit grainy and expensive but it's amazing." Gilbert said, emphasizing by throwing his hands in the air. Everything was a 'bit expensive' in the island of Bergendway. He found that out when he went to the shopping centre with his parents. He understood that they used the planes to bring the cargo, and orders. "I'm serious, though. 6.50 for a little cup bowl, but it's the only place here that sells ice cream year long."

Matthew agreed that the price was a bit high, but every other product was so he didn't complain. They turned into a space, few cars parked in a line. The occasional one or two people walking in or out of the place. The place looked small from outside. It was a normal house with an open sign on the front facing window. The house was two stories, something Matthew barely saw in this town.

Gilbert cut the engine and they were out of the vehicle, walking up the front steps to the place. Matthew could smell the variety of scents from outside. He smelled sweets and few spices. The two scents never really worked together, one being strong and the other making anyone feel like they're floating.

"Well! Look at who graced us with their presence!" Matthew recognized that voice, Matthias grinned at the two. "What'll it be, boy?" He asked Gilbert. His eyes wandered to the Canadian, "And Matthew! How's my little friend doing?" Matthew squeaked upon the contact Matthias made with him. The Danes arm pulled Matthew in for a side hug. Matthew smiled slightly, waiting to be let go.

"I'm good.. Thanks for asking.. W-what about y-you?" Matthew mumbled, feeling heat rush to his cheeks when the taller man stared down at him. He looked so much taller when you were as close as Matthew was, more intimidating, too, with that grin of his.

"Bored! Not much happens here!" Matthias let go, going back to the cash register. "Okay, what'll it be?"

"Sweet potato fries please. And..a normal hamburger please.." Gilbert ordered, he looked at Matthew, who wanted the same thing. Matthias laughed at the two, but made the order.

"Anything to drink?"

"Two iced teas." Gilbert replied. Matthew had no problem with the drink, he kept quiet. Matthias nodded, telling the order to the chef. Matthew and Gilbert sat down at a small table for two.

"I didn't know Matthias worked.." Matthew started in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, we'll he finished school already.. So.." The albino shrugged. Matthew nodded. "After our food we're eating the ice cream next." Gilbert grinned, determined look upon his face.

"Alright." Matthew said, not saying anything else more. They waited patiently, occasional looking at the time. Five minutes passed, Gilbert was becoming finicky.

"You don't mind being late to.. Uh, your elective, right?" Gilbert asked, twiddling his thumbs, Matthew eyed the boy suspiciously. "We're gonna be late." He said. Matthew nodded, he didn't think being late would make a huge effect on his grade. Sure he will have to catch up on what he missed but it was band, he was sure he could.

"I don't mind." Matthew smiled sweetly, causing the other to slight ting pink. Matthias came over to their table, tall glass cups in each hand.

Matthew stared at the cup in front of him. This didn't look like an iced tea. It was yellow. He stared at Gilbert's cup, which was the same colour as his. This looked more like a lemonade rather than iced tea. He crinkled his nose, staring at the liquid in front of him.

"You're burgers should be done in about five minutes.." With that, Matthias went back to his job. Matthew watched Gilbert unwrap his straw and gave the other to Matthew. The Canadian unwrapped his, it wasn't a plastic straw, but had a paper feel. He dipped the straw into the iced tea and took a sip. Definitely tasted like tea and lemon with not that much sugar as he somewhat expected. Nonetheless, it was really good.

"You should visit me today, we'll go rent a movie.." Gilbert said, Matthew frowned slightly. He wished he could, but he promised Lovino they would hang out today.

"That sounds like fun," Matthew smiled, seeing Gilbert's face light up. "But I was supposed to hang out with Lovino today.." Matthew continued, breaking Gilbert's small joy into two. Gilbert sighed, leaning back into the chair.

"Uh, how about tomorrow?" He shrugged, stretching his arms. Matthew bit his lip.

"Tomorrow works.." Matthew said, smiling when Gilbert's eyes shone. The albino grinned, doing a silly victory pose. Matthew giggled. "What movie should we watch?" Matthew thought about the movies that were available for rent. He didn't know people still rented movies, but this was an island of not many things. He should be lucky that there was even a local radio station or the so called shopping centre thats actually just a retail store with few attachments.

"I don't know. Should we rent a movie or torrent a movie?" Gilbert asked. "Torrents take so long to download, though.." Gilbert sighed, "There's so many movies that aren't on DVD or Blu-Ray, yet.." Matthew smiled, drinking his iced tea happily. Best drink Gilbert could have shown him. He wasn't really listening to the albino, he was aware of the absence of his drink, though. He looked down at his drink, frowning, and his stomach felt bloated.

"Urgh.." He groaned, he shouldn't have drank it all in sip. Gilbert laughed at him.

"Mattie.. Seriously?" Gilbert became amused, laughing to himself. "The first refill is free." Gilbert said, his cup was still full. Matthew looked around for the Dane. He sighed when he saw the Dane busy with the line that was forming.

"Now I know." Matthew played with his cup, absentmindedly flicking his middle finger against the glass. "What should we watch then?" He asked again, hoping for an actual answer.

"Whatever is at the shop'n'rent.. Gilbert shrugged, a sip of his own drink. Matthias swooped in just as he did before, setting two plates.

"We don't have no 'normal' burgers, this is just as good, though." The tall blonde winked at the Canadian. Gilbert scoffed. Matthew looked at his burger, it didn't look any different. "Do you want a refill? The first cup is free." Matthew nodded, smiling at the other. "Alright.. I'll be back with your drink.." Matthias was gone after that.

"Um.." Matthew picked out a fry, bringing it to his mouth. Gilbert eagerly brought the burger to his mouth, biting into it. He groaned.

"Birdie, you have to try it!" Matthew picked up his own, biting into his burger. He can tastes the few spices that were put into it and feel the crunch of the vegetables under his teeth. He was so sure he possibly favoured this little diner in the island.

Matthew and Gilbert were silent the entire eating, enjoying the food. They made little to no conversation, with the albino being suspiciously quiet. Matthew didn't know if he was up to something or not. When they finished eating, they were already a few minutes late for class and they hadn't left 'Janine's' yet. They said bye to Matthias who shouted from the back in reply and booked it to the truck.

"What class do you have after this?" Matthew said, buckling the seat belt. Gilbert stared at him after starting the engine.

"I don't have a class after this.." He said, the Canadian's mouth formed an 'o'. "After I drop you off.. I'm just gonna go home." Matthew nodded. The truck turned into reverse, pulling out of the line of parked vehicles.

"...Do you have a class after this slot?"

"Yeah. Biology with you."

Matthew reddened after completely forgetting that Gilbert had biology with him. How could he forget? Gilbert always talked during the class. "O-oh.." The albino smirked.

"Why?"

"Let's go back to your place." Matthew said, staring seriously at the Prussian. Gilbert raised his eyebrows at the Canadian, amused.

"Yeah, okay. That sounds like more fun than staying home alone." Gilbert thought about the other times Matthew visited him at his place, he was much more fun after school was finished. Gilbert made his way to his place, parking in front of his house. He saw his grandfathers car parked, meaning he was home.

"It is okay if I come over, right?" Matthew asked, biting his lip. If his grandfather was home, then maybe he shouldn't be here? He was here during school hours...skipping. He was anxious, a little panicked, thinking of impossible ways on how Gilberts grandfather would know his schedule and send him back to school.

"Yeah. Just lay low on the school subject." Gilbert assured, getting out of the car. Matthew followed him out of the car and into his house. The Prussian in front of him stayed quiet in taking off his shoes, not shouting his 'awesome arrival' to anyone in the house. They both walked quietly to Gilbert's room, both not knowing where the older male was.

"Alright. We did it. Awesome. What should we do for the rest of the hour..? Oof-!" Gilbert jumped onto his bed, face down. Matthew sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the bed dip.

"No games. I've grown tired of beating you at every one of them." The Canadian smirked at the other, who hid himself away in his arms.

"Ugh. We should do something then." Gilbert rolled to lay on his back, almost falling off the bed in the process. He closed his eyes, already feeling sleep cloud over him.

"You're not gonna sleep." Matthew stated, smiling at the drowsy teenager.

"You're not my mother." Gilbert retorted, turning his back to Matthew. "I can sleep when I want." Gilbert felt the bed dip further down behind him. He heard the sheets shuffling. He looked back to see the Canadian laying down with him. Matthew smiled at Gilbert, closing his eyes. "Get off my bed." Gilbert demanded, turning towards the smaller male.

"No." Was all Matthew said, shifting his position into a more comfortable one. Gilbert turned back, unable to contain his blush. Matthew was well aware of how tired he was as soon as his head hit the pillow. Who knew a pillow would have this effect. A few minutes passed, and quietness stuck to the air, Matthew quickly fell asleep. Gilbert, on the other hand, was unable to fall asleep. His mind kept going back to Matthew who was mere inches away from him. Sleeping. Beside him. On his bed. As quietly and slowly he could, he turned to face the other, looking over Matthew's sleeping form. Gilbert smiled, Matthew left his glasses on. He could wake him up before his class started. He hoped so anyway. He stayed awake for another ten minutes, falling asleep with Matthew fresh in his mind.

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A/N: What's up guys, just a little one sided PruCan here... Matthew seems to not realize yet, eh? Ehehe~

Let's get one thing straight, this chapter is Chapter 8.5 and not chapter 9.. Why? Because I realized that chapter 9 and 10 and a bit of a large time gap from c8 and I didn't like that. So I whipped up a little fluff before the next chapter begins. Sorry if it seems rushed, it's kind of hard to write a minimum amount words under limited time. I apologize for mistakes if there are any.

Another thing! It is just after 6am where I am, I woke up this early just to update the chapter because I am moving today. Chapter nine might not even be up until next Monday or next Thursday if the Internet isn't up and running by then.

I guess that's it! Thanks for reading this far! Leave a review~ thankyou!


	10. Chapter 9

_How many of you are still waiting? I am so sorry about the long wait. I am not motivated, haven't been for a month. I just stopped doing everything, stopped caring about myself. I haven't went out in so long. Maybe almost two weeks. Maybe more. I'm doing so horribly, it will take longer to finish this, please bear with me. I still want to finish this. It will just take longer time. I figured you guys waited a long time for this chapter, so here it is. Sorry for any mistakes._

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Matthew sighed, slightly shivering at the gusts of wind overcoming his self. It was mid-October, frost was coming and going. He smiled in delight, he couldn't wait for the blankets of snow to come. Waves crashed against the rocky shore, almost nearing his warm boots. He can already tell that the snow will be unlike he's never seen before. It won't be that 20 centimetre stuff that he loved in Canada, even if it was huge when he was younger...and smaller.

It was mid-October which meant Halloween was just around the corner.

He was still unsure if he wanted to dress up. Lovino, Gilbert and them will be dressing up, and are still trying to talk Matthew into becoming a part of their group. Dressing up would be fun... Matthew thought.

He sat down after a while, the cold rock beneath him sending shivers up his spine. He relaxed, bringing his knees up to his chest. He really liked this place, even if there isn't much to do. He liked everyone here, they were all so unique. So...awesome.

His face tinged pink, his mind caused a chain reaction. He smiled, huddling his face into his knees for warmth. He looked back up, seeing the tree lines just across the waters. A separate island which was where he went to that one little get together. Where he finally got to see everyone.

He stared at the rippling tides that brushed against the rocks, they sloshed repeatedly. He smiled, awesome. These two weeks were awesome. He spent it with Gilbert, mostly. His outgoing attitude, his huge ego that he was so confident in. Something he wished he had his whole life. Maybe not that egotistical.

Even so, he wished he was just as outgoing as him.

He leaned back, staring up at the pink orange clouds. The sun was starting to set. The sky was turning from a sky blue to purple. There are many times, many days where he wished he would never leave. It was for sights like these, they were breathtaking. A simple, but beautiful sunset.

He could see stars starting to show, but only a few. They started showing once purple skies turned dark, illuminated by the bright moon. If he could, he would fall asleep under the stars. It's a bit too late to fall asleep outside, alone. A bit too cold.

The sun couldn't be seen in Matthews vision anymore, it was being blocked out by the dark tree lines, creating a darker silhouette. He could see a few sun rays peeking out.

It was getting colder as it became darker. Too cold in a jacket. He decided to go into his warm cozy house. He stood up and dusted himself off. He walked, cuddling himself for warmth, up the hill, past the small row of trees. He approached his house, his hands tightly squeezed into a fist in his pockets. He walked up the wooden steps of the porch, opening the outside door and closing it behind him. It seemed more colder in the porch than it was outside. He opened his house door and was greeted with a heat or air. It welcomed him and he smiled.

"Hello?" He heard his mother call out.

"It's just me, mum.." Matthew said, unzipping his jacket and hanging it. He slipped of his new boots, which were warm on the inside, and walked into the house, arms huddling against his body.

"You look cold.." His mother smiled, putting supper in the oven. She smiled and held out her arms, which Matthew couldn't refuse. She was warm, she kissed his forehead.

"When did you get home?" He asked, she wasn't usually home until just a little later. She shrugged, looking at the time.

"I left early, that's all." She smiled. Matthew nodded, knowing that she wasn't saying the truth. She smiled sincerely. "Why don't you go get washed up before dinner? Dad should be home, soon." She ushered Matthew to his room. To which Matthew complied. A hot bath after being out in the cold was enticing. He walked into his room, grabbing articles of clothing. He noticed his phone still at his desk. He checked it before doing anything else

'**4 text messages**' it read.

Matthew furrowed his brows together, he checked the messages, all from Gilbert.

'**Birdie?**' Sent at 4:37pm.

'**Yo. You there?**' Sent at 5:06pm

'**Are you ignoring awesomeness?**' Sent at 5:53pm.

'**When you get this, can we meet up?**' This message was sent at 6:11pm, nearly 15 minutes ago. Matthew sighed, Gilbert wanted to meet with him right now? He supposed he could, dinner won't be ready for maybe 45 minutes.

He chose to reply back at the moment. He didn't know if Gilbert was going to pick him up in his truck, or wanted him to walk somewhere.

'**Where did you want to meet up?**' He replied, tapping his finger on the screen, a text box came up, signalling that the text was sent. He set his clothes aside, he could bathe or shower after dinner, or in the morning. His phone beeped, he got a message. His fingers tapped on the screen and he read the message.

'**I'll be there soon. Look out for me.**'

Matthew shut his phone. He hoped Gilbert's heater worked in the car. He looked for a warm sweater he could wear under his jacket. He found a white pull over with a pattern embroidered on his back. He pulled that on and walked out of the room. His mother was sitting at the table, her hands in her hair.

"Mum?" Matthews voice broke through the house. She looked up, eyes glistening with tears. "Mum, what's wrong?" He hurried beside her, a hand rubbing her back. She sighed, almost choking on a sob.

"Hospital life.. It's all." She proceeded to mutter in French. Matthew was worried, could there have been a death? "Don't worry about me... I'm just shocked." Matthew nodded, giving her a one armed hug and kissing her on her temple. "I love you, my little Matthew...mon petit Matthieu.."

"I love you, too, mum." He said, they stayed in silence for a while, Matthew not knowing what to do, or say.

What broke them out of their state was an obvious honking.

"Are you going out?" Judy asked, wiping away tears.

"Just for a little. I'll be back soon.." He said, unsure of whether he should leave his mum alone.

"Alright, dinner won't be ready for an hour or so.. We're having lasagna. If you're friend wants to stay over for dinner, there's lots to spare." She smiled sweetly.

"I'll remember to tell him that." He smiled and went to put on his shoes and jacket. He opened the door, shutting it behind him. Another honk. Matthew sighed, Gilbert was so impatient. He walked out o the porch, the door swinging shit behind him. He saw another car pull up, it was his dads car. He decided he'll see him later, he walked to the passenger side, and hopped in.

At least it was warm in here.

He got himself comfortable and looked at the driver. "Hey."

"What's up." Gilbert asked, Matthew felt no need to reply to that. "Let's just skip the boring parts of conversation." Gilbert chuckled, he pulled out slowly, moving to the side, so his dads car can drive by.

"The boring parts of a conversation? It's called greeting." Matthew stated, a smug smile forming on his lips. "It'd be weird if someone just randomly started a conversation you don't know much about."

"Doesn't have to be a greeting.." Gilbert muttered, driving up onto the main road. "I mean, 'whats up' gets you no where. Everyone should know that." Matthew laughed. Gilbert smiled.

"I think you're right- for once." Matthew quickly added, he didn't know what to talk about after a boring start as 'what's up.' Lots of things could be up.

"I'm always right." Gilbert retorted, to which Matthew scoffed. "What?"

Matthew smiled, he seemed to do that more often, "...Nothing."

"I'll believe that when the sky turns...uh...yellow." Gilbert tapped his finger on the steering wheel..

"The sun is yellow."

"But it's not the sky." Gilbert added, feeling a smile tug at his lips.

"It's in the sky." Gilbert almost laughed at Matthew.

"Thousands, maybe millions of miles away." The albino made a u-turn.

"Where are we going?"

"No where really. I'm just wasting gas right now." Matthew stared at his friend in the drivers seat. "I wanted to talk to you..?" He asked, hoping to get a positive reply.

"About what?" Matthew leaned closer, carefully listening. Gilbert caught his breath and gulped. What was he going to say?

Gilbert set for a sigh. Matthew didn't press on. He did, however, asked him if he wanted to have dinner at his place. Gilbert nodded, head perching and the speed slightly increased. They both made it back to Matthew place in record time. Gilbert parked his car and they both walked into the house. Judy and Tyrone greeted them both, sad smiles on their faces.

Matthew was confused now. He suppose he could shrug it off for his guests sake. He seemed to notice something was off, too. They both went into Matthews room, and sat side by side on the bed.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me now.." Matthew started, "Want to watch something?" The blond stood up and snatched his laptop off the desk and turned it on.

Silence.

Matthew looked over at his friend, wondering why the albino was so quiet. He took note of the mans facial features. Eyebrows knitted together, eyes narrowed, he was biting on his bottom lip and his hands clenched at the edge of the mattress.

"Gilbert?"

Gilbert stared up at Matthew and gave a small smile. The blond stared skeptically at the albino.

"What?" Gilbert waved his arms.

"Tell me." Was all Matthew said. Whatever Gilbert wanted to tell him, seemed to be bothering him. Gilbert rose an eyebrow at the petite male. He stood up, stared down at Matthew.

"How about I show you?" His voice sent shivers down Matthews spine. Matthews breath hitched as Gilbert lowered his head to Matthews height. Gilbert stared and watched for Matthews movements.

Matthew could only stare at the face coming closer and closer to his. His breath was quick. He stared at the others lips, until finally they were placed onto his own. They both stared into each others eyes. Both not daring to move.

Matthews eyes slowly fluttered closed, the taller of the two liking the reaction. Gilbert gently placed his hands on the others waist, careful to not break any boundaries. Matthew responded to the kiss, gently moving his own with Gilbert's. He brought his hands to reach for his arms. Sliding them up to his shoulders, where they rested.

Matthew was the first to break. Questions racing through his mind. His breathing accelerated during the kiss. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He wasn't sure on what else to say. He wasn't sure of anything in that moment. Lucky for him, Gilbert started to talk.

"I've...uh, liked you for awhile." Gilbert said, his face tinged pink. Matthew could only think of what just happened. His words seemed to just disappear the second they entered.

The kiss.

Gilbert's feelings towards him.

The sweet, chaste, quiet kiss they shared.

Matthew wasn't listening to Gilbert talking anymore.

"Matthew?" Gilbert broke him out of his thoughts. His face showed concern. "I'm... Do-... Do you-" Gilbert paused, thinking of words to say. Matthew knew exactly what he was gonna say, why was he hoping for something otherwise?

"Do you feel the same?" Gilbert finally said it. His question repeated in his head so many times. He stared at Gilbert, what should he say, the look on Gilbert's face nearly brought him to tears.

"I-.." Matthew tried to speak. The albino stared, hope glinting in his eyes. His eyes darted from one red eye to the other, repeatedly.

"I..don't know." Matthew responded. The look on Gilbert's face crushed him.


End file.
